Project G Part 2 - GODZILLA MEETS GARGANTUA
by DHT
Summary: Godzilla has become a figure of hope to people around the world after defeating many dangerous monsters, but when an encounter with an unusually brutal opponent leaves him on death's doorstep, his human companion Doctor Honda learns a dreadful secret that causes her to question the motives of her superiors - and of her dearest friend, as well.
1. The Year of Godzilla

Kumi Honda leaned silently against the rail of a patrol boat. Though her eyes were closed, her full concentration was on the small island that lay about two kilometers south of them. She could hear a low, rumbling sound coming from the island, a mass shifting of earth and rock. She eagerly awaited what would soon come.

Captain Kawamura stood by her side, tapping his fingers against the rails and looking at his watch nervously. "Doctor," he said, "it's been almost twenty minutes now. Maybe we're at the wrong place after all."

Honda did not respond. Her eyes remained closed.

"Er, Doctor? I think we should probably-"

Honda held up one hand, motioning for him to be silent. She straightened up and slowly opened her eyes. "He did it!" she whispered. "He found the nest!"

There came a high pitched shriek as hundreds of Meganula flew straight up from the island and circled something in the center. Godzilla emerged from the huge pit he had dug in the ground to reach their nest, carrying something over his shoulder.

Kawamura gasped. "Is that-?"

"Yes, Captain," said Honda. "Megaguirus, the Meganula queen."

The giant insects swarmed Godzilla, buzzing with rage at him for taking their queen. They latched onto him and slashed at his hide with their powerful mandibles, but they could not seriously hurt him. Godzilla's spikes began to glow, emitting incredible heat that cooked the insects alive. He breathed atomic fire into the sky, cutting through the airborne insects. Still they attacked, but they could not defend themselves from his power.

Godzilla took the Megaguirus by her tail and swung her over his head, throwing her to the ground with all his might. She hissed and shook her wings, which had just developed and were still vulnerable to injury, but her legs were strong enough to lift her, so she lunged at the intruder. Despite being lightweight enough for flight – and for Godzilla to carry her over his shoulder – she was a bit larger than him, with a thorax wider than his torso and a long, sturdy tail. She looked more scorpion-like than the Meganula, with a huge stinger at the end of her tail and two gigantic claws which she held out, open and ready to grasp her target and wrestle him to death.

Godzilla caught Megaguirus by the forelimbs and swung her again for another toss, but she clamped down on his arms with her claws and pulled herself toward his chest to attack with her mandibles. Godzilla stopped in mid-turn and held his arms straight out to keep the insect queen away from his chest, then lifted her vertically and slammed her to the ground. In a flash, her tail arced over her back and speared him in the belly. Godzilla cried out as the barbed stinger sunk deep into his abdomen and began pumping corrosive enzymes into his body. He tried to bend over and bite the tail in half, but doing so only intensified the pain.

Meanwhile, the Meganula continued to swarm him in such numbers that he was covered from head to toe. He swung his tail wildly trying to bat them off, but they kept coming. Satisfied that her poison was taking effect, Megaguirus detached and fluttered her wings, finding that she could finally use them. She hovered just behind Godzilla and clamped both claws around his neck, hoping to decapitate him.

However, Godzilla's regenerative ability had already kicked in, neutralizing the poison and beginning to repair his internal injuries. Ready to fight in earnest again, he lashed out with his tail and wrapped it around that of Megaguirus, spun around, and let go so that she was thrown into the air. Godzilla charged his atomic power again, killing or dispersing most of the remaining Meganula, and fired at Megaguirus. She dodged and flew at him sideways, but he caught her throat with one hand. She attacked with her stinger again, hoping to hit him in the head, but he caught her tail on its descent with his free hand and rammed it into her thorax. Godzilla dropped the mortally wounded insect to the ground and squashed her head with his foot. The remaining Meganula stopped moving and fell to earth, where they lay completely motionless.

Kawamura watched the curious display in confusion. "What are they doing?"

Honda smiled, relieved that the fight was over, and explained. "The Meganula exist only to serve their queen, guided by the pheromones she releases, which they can sense even when they are long distances from the nest. When she dies and stops releasing chemicals, they become apathetic and won't try to escape, feed themselves, or do anything else. If we let them be, they'll remain where they are until they starve or die of exposure."

"So they've lost the will to live!" Kawamura said in amazement. "Incredible!"

"Correct. I think we should do the humane thing and put them out of their misery." Honda closed her eyes and focused on Godzilla again. The monster let loose an enormous stream of blue fire and strafed the ground until the lethargic Meganula were no more. He looked at the hole he had made to reach the nest and fired another blast into the cavern just to be sure. Fire and smoke came billowing out as the last remnants of the nest were destroyed. With a roar of triumph, Godzilla strode proudly into the sea.

"You've done it again, Doctor!" said Kawamura, shaking Honda's hand enthusiastically. "The last nest has been destroyed. The Meganula are gone for good this time."

Honda smiled weakly, casting another glance at the island. "I hope so. To be honest, though, as a paleontologist, it saddens me that we had to drive them to extinction. I know it had to be done to save lives, but still…"

"I know what you mean, Doctor. It was humans that woke them up in the first place, so it does seem rather unfair toward those creatures. Like you said, though, it had to be done, and your country...no, the _world_ thanks you!" Kawamura waved to the boat's helmsman. "Let's move out!" he called. The ship departed from the island with Godzilla following closely behind them.

* * *

Godzilla's rise to fame began with the Battle of Fukuoka, wherein he defeated the monsters Varan and Rodan; however, he did not slay the latter but took it to safety, though it was not known where. He was located two weeks later by the UNMCC's radiation detection network returning to the base in Okinawa. Rather than risk alarming the people of Japan if he was spotted unexpectedly, General Martin permitted Doctor Honda, the scientist who raised Godzilla, to go public with news of their latest defense plan against monster attacks: Project G.

As promised, Honda divulged the details in an exclusive interview with Koichi Yamada, writer of the _Mysteries of the 20_ _th_ _Century_ column for Maicho Press. Honda explained how she and her friend Doctor Adam Yuma, an American-born radiobiologist living in Japan, had discovered and studied Godzilla, how she had formed a telepathic bond with the animal, and how upon finding him again fully grown she asked him to fight on their side.

Once the news was out, reporters from around the world flocked to Okinawa to see Godzilla's arrival. On live television, Honda took a speedboat to meet him in the bay, where he carried her to shore in the palm of his hand, gently placing her on firm ground to cheers from the crowd.

Reactions were initially mixed; some were receptive, but others were skeptical given that there had not yet been a worthy demonstration of Godzilla's competence in combat. Fukuoka had suffered a great deal during the first battle, and without sufficient photographical evidence to go by, all they had were the words of Honda and some eyewitnesses to confirm what destruction was caused by him and what was the work of the attacking monsters. However, when Godzilla succeeded in slaying an enormous octopus that had been wreaking havoc near Hawaii, the event was well-documented and the footage was all over the news. Now that there was proof, public opinion changed for the better, and Godzilla's image continued to improve as he won fight after fight with minimal collateral damage.

In particular, many in Japan proclaimed Godzilla a national hero. Songs were written and statues built in his honor. A series of comic books was created to celebrate his adventures, albeit in a highly fictionalized form. In fact, there was even a call to christen 1960 "The Year of Godzilla." International support was also high. Godzilla operated in places all across the Pacific and took part in a nine-week campaign to exterminate the Meganula that had terrorized East Asia for years. The last nest was destroyed in late June, eliciting celebrations in Russia, China, and the Koreas, the nations that had suffered the most from the insects' attacks.

For a moment, all the world was united in a spirit of hope, but it was to be short-lived, for just as the dynasty of the Meganula came to an end, a new and more terrifying foe made its appearance…

* * *

On an overcast July day in the Chugoku Region, an abandoned and partially destroyed fishing boat ran aground on a beach on Etajima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture. A team of Maritime Safety Agency officers were on the scene immediately, holding back a crowd of anxious onlookers. A uniformed JSDF officer arrived shortly thereafter and examined the remains of the ship closely for familiar signs. He quickly found what he was looking for and decided to make a call. An hour later, he was joined on the beach by Doctor Yuma, whom he had previously met, and Doctor Honda, whom he had heard much about but never spoken to.

"Doctor Yuma! Glad to see you again. Doctor Honda, glad to meet you. I'm Major Omori."

"Nice to meet you. What's all this?"

Omori showed them to the wreck, pointing out the strange marks on its side. "This fishing boat washed ashore earlier today. The entire crew is missing, and as you can see here, it appears to have been torn apart by an animal with large, powerful claws."

Honda looked over the huge gashes. "I wasn't aware there had been any monster activity in this Prefecture! Do you know the culprit?"

"We have something of an idea," said Yuma. "We'll explain later. But first…" He approached the ship with a sample jar and a knife for scraping. "I must have a sample. Ah! Here!" Yuma carefully scraped something slimy off one of the jagged holes in the boat into his sample jar, careful not to get any on the outside or on his fingers. He sealed it quickly and gave a nod to Omori.

The major motioned toward one of the MSA officers. "Sergeant, I'm declaring this beach off-limits until further notice. Civilians must be kept off the beach, and we can't have any swimming, fishing, or sailing near this spot. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" The sergeant turned and repeated Omori's instructions out loud to the crowd.

Yuma hurried over to show Honda his sample. "Take a look at this!" he said. Inside the jar was a glob of tissue. It appeared to be grey flesh with tufts of green hair.

* * *

Omori took the two scientists by helicopter to a four-story building within the city of Hiroshima. They were greeted on the rooftop helipad by armed guards, and more could be seen on the grounds below. The heavy security piqued Honda's curiosity. "What is this place?"

"A military science research center," said Yuma. "Back during WW2, this was an army hospital exploring… er, unusual medicinal techniques." His voice trailed off, as though he had caught himself saying something he should not have. "It was rebuilt after the bombing, but the work they do here now isn't nearly as sketchy. They have a laboratory set up just for me. I do my research for the UNMCC here, away from the hospital where security could be compromised."

"That makes sense," said Honda. "What kind of research do you do here?"

"Well, I can't talk about it much. I assumed you would have security clearance for-"

Omori interrupted. "For research that directly relates to Project G, and nothing beyond that."

"Right," said Yuma, a touch disappointed. "Well, let me show you what I've been working on recently."

Yuma's lab was on the top floor of the building. Among the various equipment present was an electron microscope, a refrigeration unit, an incinerator, and a cage filled with sleeping white rats. Yuma placed the tissue sample under the microscope and studied it for a few minutes to confirm his suspicions. "It's definitely the same as the others. I think this is the largest sample we've found by far."

Omori folded his arms. "Well?" he asked, tilting his head toward Honda. "Should I tell her everything?"

Yuma turned to face them. "I'll explain. Kumi, would you have a seat please?"

Honda pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Kumi, we think there's a monster out there that's much worse than anything we've encountered yet – something that we don't know if even Godzilla could kill."

Honda's eyes widened with surprise. "What makes you say that?"

"Whatever this creature is, it possesses a super healing ability similar to Godzilla's, but far more potent. I found another sample about a month ago on another ravaged ship that drifted into Sagami Bay. It could regenerate almost instantaneously after incision, so fast you could blink and miss that the cut had even been there. The sample we found today is identical and possesses the same rapid healing properties."

Honda stood up and approached the microscope. "I want to take a look."

"Of course."

She peered into the lens and watched the cells rapidly dividing and multiplying. Yuma removed the sample from the microscope, sliced it with a scalpel, and put it back. Right before Honda's eyes, the incision closed completely within the space of five seconds; there was not even a scar left behind.

Honda whistled and looked up in amazement. "Is it radioactive?"

"Mildly. Not enough to be any real risk. Actually, I got to wondering how this would react to radiation exposure and found that it metabolizes it quite effectively, perhaps more effectively than Godzilla. I had been thinking a lot about the medical potential of Godzilla's regenerative ability, but what we have here is a lot stronger, and I believe I can isolate what makes it tick and find a way to use it."

Honda was fascinated. "That sounds like quite a breakthrough!"

A shrill alarm suddenly filled the air, causing all three of them to give a slight jump. "Monster attack!" shouted Omori, whipping out his handheld transceiver. "This is Major Omori! What's the situation?"

" _Humanoid monster has surfaced in Hiroshima Bay, approaching the city. Sir…we think it's him!"_

An expression of horror appeared on Omori's face. "Get all units to battle stations! Prepare for an evacuation!"

Yuma jumped from his seat and grabbed Honda by the shoulders. "If you can reach Godzilla, by God, call him now!"

* * *

When the announcement was made that a monster had been sighted approaching Hiroshima from the sea, the reaction was fearful but organized. Over the past several years, the public had repeatedly been instructed on what to do in the event of a monster attack. Rather than trying to evacuate by car – something which had in several other cities ended in disaster when gridlock left hundreds of drivers trapped in the path of a monster – the residents abandoned their homes and vehicles, taking nothing but their loved ones and the clothes on their backs, and raced to the subways and underground shelters.

Meanwhile, a passenger ship still inside the bay decided to turn around and return to port rather than be caught in open water. Just as they were getting close, something emerged from the water right on their portside, causing the ship to tilt just far enough that a number of people leaning against the railing on the opposite side were thrown into the water.

The monster was a humanoid giant, about thirty-five meters in height with craggy grey skin and shaggy hair covering most of his body. His eyes were sunken and yellow, his forehead high and bony. He had a pronounced underbite and his lower canines jutted out like tusks. The nails on his fingers were overgrown as well and looked razor sharp. His hair was green from algae and he was covered in barnacles.

As he watched those in the water desperately trying to get away, he let out a delighted snarl and began snatching them up. One by one, he popped them in his mouth, chewed them up, spat out their clothes and swallowed the rest. He had finished with those in the water and was preparing to attack the ship when he heard the roar of another monster and looked up to see Godzilla charging through the water toward him.

Honda, Yuma, and Omori watched the confrontation from a helicopter. Yuma clenched his hands firmly in anticipation. "That's definitely Gaira out there! I knew he'd come sooner or later."

"Alright, Godzilla," said Honda, closing her eyes and concentrating on him. "Get those people out of the way, then let him have it!"

Godzilla complied and attempted to put himself between Gaira and the sinking craft. The giant snarled and threw a punch at him, but Godzilla caught his hand and crushed it in his grasp. While Gaira stumbled backward in pain, Godzilla placed both hands on the ship and pulled it close. He turned his back on Gaira and swung his tail to knock him aside, but instead Gaira caught it and held on tight. Godzilla tried to pull away, but Gaira was incredibly strong and managed to maintain his grip, the muscles in his arms bulging until every vein and sinew was visible. Godzilla pulled in the opposite direction with all his might until, at long last, his tail was free. As Gaira fell backwards into the water, Godzilla lifted his tail and brought it crashing down upon him. Confident that his enemy was out of the fight, Godzilla waded toward the shore. He was just about to let go of the ship and allow the crew to steer it to shore when Gaira exploded from the water and landed on Godzilla's back. Godzilla fell forward, accidentally crushing the ship as he hit the water.

Honda's eyes snapped open. "Oh, God!" she murmured in horror.

Gaira wrapped his legs around Godzilla's waist and rode him like a bull while pummeling his head furiously. Godzilla could not shake him off, so instead he threw himself backward. Both of them went completely underwater for a few seconds; when Godzilla reared back up, Gaira had huge gash wounds where he had been impaled on Godzilla's dorsal spikes, but he was still holding on tight and had his arms wrapped around Godzilla's torso, squeezing tightly to cut off his air.

Honda could sense Godzilla's confidence growing. Now his opponent was too close to easily get away, so it was the perfect time to fry him with an atomic energy surge. His spikes glowed as he began to charge the attack. Gaira wriggled until he was no longer on the spikes, but instead of jumping off, he leaned farther forward and sank his teeth into Godzilla's neck. Godzilla cried out in pain and again tried to shake Gaira off, but he could not get free. The glow in his spines began to flicker and fade until it went out completely. Gaira hopped down, cackling maniacally, and disappeared into the sea.

Honda watched in silent dread as Godzilla stumbled toward the shore, his neck wound bleeding profusely. He reached the shallows and was almost on land when his waning strength ran out and he collapsed, his head coming to rest against the shore. Godzilla had been defeated in battle for the first time.


	2. Ghosts of War

Honda wrung her hands in distress as the helicopter landed near Godzilla. As soon as they had touched down, she ran to him as fast as she could. She pressed her hands against his snout and looked into his half open eyes. She spoke to him breathlessly. "Godzilla! Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Godzilla moved his head ever so slightly and stared back at her. His eyes widened for a moment and she felt him speak to her. _I'm sorry, Friend. I failed you!_

"No, no!" she cried. "It's going to be alright! Just hang in there!"

Godzilla's eyes darkened and closed. He let out a long, rasping breath and was still.

Yuma and Omori were now by Honda's side. Yuma whispered to her, "Is he…?"

"He's alive," she replied, sobbing. "I can feel his pain. He's not healing! I don't know why, but he's not healing!" She fell to her knees and wept bitterly, one hand still pressed against Godzilla's snout.

* * *

Honda remained awake by Godzilla's side all night. She did not speak to anyone, she did not eat or drink, and she did not move from her spot. A huge crowd gathered around, but Omori and his men kept them far back. A biohazard response team was brought in and, with Yuma leading them, they climbed onto Godzilla's body wearing radiation-resistant suits to examine the wound in his neck and take tissue samples.

Once Yuma had finished, he took his samples to a waiting military truck and had them sent off to his lab. He removed his suit after a decontamination shower and stood by Honda's side, saying nothing. Honda had seen him do this before when he knew she was emotional, to let her know he had something to say but respected that she might need a moment first. She did not keep him waiting for long. "What is it, Adam?" she said, wiping tears and mucus from her face.

"I think you should know the whole story behind Gaira. And I think you should hear it from the one who knows it best."

"And who would that be?"

"His brother."

* * *

Honda slept through the first half of their long drive to Gifu Prefecture that morning, but she did not feel truly refreshed upon awakening. How could she with so much stress and so many things on her mind? She awoke to the sound of a woman's voice on the radio.

" _Yesterday evening, Godzilla suffered his first defeat in battle against an as-yet unidentified humanoid monster that attacked Hiroshima. Godzilla was gravely wounded and knocked unconscious during the fight while the other monster escaped into the sea. Residents of the Chugoku region have voiced concerns that the monster, which was seen eating passengers of a ship wrecked during the fight, may still be lurking in the nearby waters, ready to strike again at any moment. The news of this first major loss for Godzilla has reignited the controversy over Project G. People from all over Japan are flocking to Hiroshima to show their support, but internationally, it seems that apprehension over the future of the program is increasing. The question on everyone's mind is, quite simply, has the King of the Monsters been dethroned?"_

Honda grumpily leaned forward and switched off the radio. What a tacky and mean-spirited thing to say! Godzilla had for months been a savior not just of Japan, but of many other nations. Mocking him at a time like this was not only disrespectful but ungrateful, a slap in the face to all the good work Project G had accomplished.

 _Remember, Kumi_ , Honda thought, trying to calm quench her anger for the moment. _Remember who the real enemy is._ She sat back in her seat, arms crossed, her thoughts returning to Gaira. "Just what the hell was that thing anyway?" she grumbled.

Yuma cleared his throat and sat up straighter, as though bracing himself for an awkward conversation. "Kumi, have you ever heard of the Reisendorf study, sometimes called the Gargantua Experiment?"

"Can't say I have."

"I thought not. It's been kept a secret for years, but I think you should know about it now. During World War II, the Third Reich worked on genetic and biological experiments to create 'supermen,' as well as creating chemical and bio-weapons. You knew that much, right?"

Honda shifted in her seat. "Yes. Unfortunately, Japan was involved in some of the same cruel human experimentation."

"Regrettably, yes. Anyway, there was one particular scientist from Switzerland named Reisendorf who worked on the _Übermensch_ program. His idea was not to create superior people through eugenics, but to physical augment human beings to make them immortal. He would inject them with a chemical cocktail that he believed would grant them enhanced strength, resilience, and fertility."

Honda cringed at the idea. "Did he actually get anywhere?"

"Most of his subjects died in the process. He was eventually able to create two enhanced specimens, but there were some…adverse side effects…as you've already seen."

Honda was confused and was about to ask Yuma what he meant when it dawned on her that there could only be one reason for him to bring this up now. "Gaira?"

Yuma nodded. "He was one of Reisendorf's subjects. The other was called Sanda. Once the Allied Forces pushed into Germany, the Nazis decided to send Reisendorf and his project out of the country so he could finish his work elsewhere. To Japan, in fact. That's how Gaira ended up halfway across the world."

"Let me guess," said Honda. "They were in that weird old army hospital, the one your lab is built over."

Yuma was a bit embarrassed that she had realized and drawn attention to this fact. "Yeah…that one."

"What about Sanda? You mean we're actually going to meet him?"

"In the flesh." He took his eyes off the road for just a second to give her a reassuring look. "Don't worry. He's not like his brother…much."

* * *

Later that afternoon, they arrived at a solitary old house among the Kiso Mountains. An old woman in a floral patterned blue and white kimono stood waiting for them on the porch. "Doctor Yuma!" she said as they got out of the car and approached. "How nice to see you again. And you must be Doctor Honda!"

Honda smiled and bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

The woman curtsied. "Maya Mizuno. Formerly Doctor Mizuno. Please, come inside and make yourselves comfortable."

The house was large and opulent, decorated with various paintings, small sculptures, and works of embroidery. "Gifts from patients," explained Mizuno. "I helped thousands of people with life-threatening conditions over the course of my career, and many of them wanted to give me something in return to show their gratitude and respect." In the kitchen, she fixed a pot of tea and poured a cup for each of them.

"Thank you," said both of her guests.

"You're welcome. I don't get visitors often, so I make sure to treat them well when they come. I used to prefer the solitude over the hustle and bustle of the city, but after fifteen years of mostly keeping to myself, I do get lonely at times."

"What about Sanda?" asked Honda. "Does he keep good company?"

"To an extent," said Mizuno, the pleasant smile on her face fading into an expression of bittersweet remembrance. "He can't talk so he communicates by sign language, but also…well, he's not exactly the happiest individual. Because of what those experiments did to him, he can't ever live a normal life; and he overestimates the burden he places on me, so he feels sad and unmotivated most of the time."

Honda finished her cup. "Do you think he resents other people for what's been done to him?"

"I don't think he resents people so much as that he worries that he'd be seen as a monster, even though he knows that he's a human, no different in heart or mind from the rest of us. He almost certainly resents our government, and Germany's, as well, for dehumanizing him and his brother so." She stood up, took their empty cups away, and picked up an old notebook from the kitchen counter. "I'll let you hear the rest in person."

Mizuno led them toward a nearby cliff, about half a kilometer from the farmhouse. As they walked, she explained Sanda's hiding place. "You can't see it from here, but there's a huge cave in the side of this cliff. It opens at an angle so that you can't see in very far, and from a distance it just looks like a shallow gap in the rock. It directly faces the sun when it comes up and the mountain obscures the sun in the evening, so you can't see the shadow cast on the back wall unless you're up close and looking directly into the opening."

Sure enough, Honda could not clearly see the cave until she realized that she was standing right at its entrance. "This is where Sanda lives?"

"Yes," said Mizuno. "He stays in a deeper part of the cave most of the time. There's another opening that leads into a small valley on the opposite side where he can stretch and get some sun without worrying about being seen. In fact, there's a whole network of tunnels underneath these mountains that he can move around freely in." She took a few steps inside and gave a whistle, which echoed eerily through the dark depths of the cavern.

The ground trembled beneath their feet as Sanda emerged. Honda had expected him to look more bizarre after having seen Gaira's monstrous appearance. He had the same sunken eyes and craggy skin, but his skin tone was more natural, albeit rather yellow, and the hair that covered his body was more of a golden brown. He had an ape-like face but with a distinctly human nose and pale blue eyes.

The giant eyed Honda curiously yet timidly, like a child meeting a stranger. Mizuno smiled up at him and waved. Sanda lowered himself slowly to the ground so as not to shake them off their feet and sat down at the edge of the cave with his legs crossed. Mizuno sat down on a chair-sized rock just outside and opened the old notebook. "Sanda had a nurse who taught him how to write, and he wrote down his life story before he became too large to hold pen and paper. Shall we begin?" Mizuno opened the book and began to read.


	3. Gargantua

The memories of my earlier years in Germany are vague. I remember being acutely aware that my life was unusual, even without really knowing what a normal life would be like. I remember the dark, damp, cold castle near Frankfurt where I was raised. I remember many people and faces. There was Gaira, my brother; he and I knew we were different from other people, at least in appearances. There were the members of the staff who abhorred the very sight of us, though they made a game effort of pretending otherwise. There was Doctor Reisendorf, the man who referred to us as "specimens"; he treated us as neither people to be revered nor monsters to be loathed, but as objects to be looked over and studied.

But mostly, I remember Susanne, the young woman assigned to be our nurse. She was the only one who saw us as people who wanted to be loved like everyone else. While others ignored or despised us, Susanne treated us like her own children. Her favorite thing to do was tell us stories before bed; she was particularly fond of a tale about two friendly but misunderstood giants, the wise Sanda and the courageous Gaira, after whom she named us. Susanne told us this was prophetic, that we would grow to become the mightiest of all men, and one day the world would recognize our inner beauty and accept us for who we really were. That seems impossible to me now, but I believe she really meant it then.

My first clear memory is of discovering my healing powers first hand. I had been allowed outside for some play time in the sun and was climbing a tall tree in the castle yard when I fell and landed hard. Susanne was nearby and came running to my side. I saw that one of my legs was broken and crooked. My first impulse was to pop it back into place, and so I did. The bone healed instantly and I was up walking again a few moments later. Susanne fainted from shock; only after it was explained to me that other people can't really do that did I understand her surprise.

Gaira decided to test whether or not he had the same healing ability by hitting himself in the arm with a hammer. It worked, but he was incredibly angry at me for not telling him it would still hurt. I think that sums him up rather succinctly.

Eventually the day came when Doctor Reisendorf explained to Gaira and me why the two of us were different from other people. He sat us down and told us about the Gargantua experiment, his plan to create the ultimate soldiers. He had developed a chemical formula which could be injected into the blood to supercharge the processes of cells, thus granting accelerated growth, near instant healing, and total immunity from disease. He kept the formula secret, guarding it so closely that no one else knew anything about it. He had used this approach to create the both of us, but while we had all the enhanced physical attributes he had hoped for, we could not speak and looked different from everyone else (he almost said "malformed" but stopped himself). It was strange and a bit saddening to hear of this, but at least now I knew the truth.

Reisendorf reminded us of the Great War, which we read about in our studies. Our homeland, Germany, was the last on the losing side to surrender and therefore received more blame for the war than others, even though our government only got involved to help an ally. Because of this, we were diplomatically isolated and our economy was left in shambles, until a new regime came into power that turned things around, rid the enemies of the state from our midst, and vowed to punish those that had made our nation suffer unjustly.

Things did not go as planned. Our forces invaded Russia and were on the verge of triumph when the defending forces struck back with a vengeance and drove them out. Our allies in Japan and Italy were pummeled by the enemy. Now, those enemies were preparing to cross our borders, and this time they were accusing the government of murdering innocents, brainwashing children, and conducting cruel experiments on living people. All of these things, Reisendorf and Susanne repeatedly told us, were untrue, merely attempts by the enemy to once again paint Germany as an evil empire so they could feel justified in once again pillaging us, despite being guilty of many of the same wrongs of which they accused us.

Reisendorf believed that the only way to save Germany from being plunged back into the Dark Ages by the invaders was to create a resistance force that could overcome anything they threw at us. To that end, he created the two of us. He assured us that even though we look odd to others, we were mighty and invincible. We have the strength of a thousand legions, and he believed he could make a thousand more of us. We would lead an army of supermen to battle the hordes of our oppressors, reclaiming the world for Germany and ushering in a new era, and a new phase in the evolution of man.

I was at a loss. I never asked for any of this. All I wanted was to live peacefully and quietly with Susanne and Gaira. My brother, on the other hand, was exhilarated by the notion. He wanted to fight the enemies and become a legendary hero. He was so excited that he refused to do any of his studies that night because he couldn't think about anything else. It was at times like these when I worried about him. He always had a bad attitude and I didn't like where it seemed to be leading him.

Ultimately, neither of us went to battle for Germany. Our country's leaders made many mistakes that cost us the war. The Fuehrer himself retreated to the safety of his bunker as the Allies pushed further and further into our territory. It was decided that we – Doctor Reisendorf, Susanne, Gaira, and myself – would be placed in a submarine and sent to our allies in Japan for further research. We rendezvoused with a Japanese submarine in the Indian Ocean and came aboard. No sooner did we surface than an Allied patrol spotted us. I can't be sure of their nationality, but we had only seconds to board the Japanese sub and leave before a plane began dropping bombs on us. It was my first time in a warfare scenario and I must admit that I was in a state of total panic. Even Gaira was afraid!

Reisendorf was the last to get in, carrying a metal trunk filled with all of his research materials. However, just as he was ready to hand it down the hatch to the Japanese crew, there was a deafening BOOM! and the sub gave a start. The U-boat had been struck and exploded! The force of the blast propelled Reisendorf into the sea along with his trunk. Susanne tried to climb out the hatch and jump in after him, but an officer pulled her back down, shouting that there was no time. The doctor could not swim, his trunk could not float, and we could save neither. The surviving vessel submerged and retreated.

To say that Reisendorf's loss saddened me would be a stretch; I was never exactly fond of him, nor he of me. Still, the suddenness of his demise and the knowledge that a person I had known for as long as I could remember was no longer alive came as a shock to me. Knowing that we had come so close to death ourselves, I was more certain than ever that I was not fit to be a soldier. The thought of violence sickened me too much.

The Japanese sailors spoke to each other in their own language, and though their words were incomprehensible to me, their tone and body language conveyed a sense of unease and disgust, and they would look at neither Gaira nor me. I assumed then that they were simply afraid of us. Gaira and I were both wearing coveralls, boots, gloves, and balaclavas, so only our eyes were visible. Compounded by looming our size and the fact that the Japanese were even smaller when compared to us, I suppose it's no wonder that they'd be intimidated. Thinking back on it now, I find it more likely that it was really contempt they felt for us. Perhaps they thought that we'd given up, that Germany had effectively surrendered already.

Upon our arrival in Hiroshima, we were taken to an army hospital. Susanne spoke to the head doctor, an old woman named Mizuno with a fluent German tongue. She was eager to work with us but stated regretfully that she could make no promises; the resources at the hospital and the time she had to work with us were limited, and the situation was exacerbated by the loss of Reisendorf and his research.

By this time, it seemed inevitable that the Allies would defeat not only Germany but the rest of the Axis forces. The Japanese were being beaten badly in the Pacific and in fact were already trying to negotiate terms with the Americans. At this point, creating a new race of supermen wasn't really a feasible goal. Instead, Mizuno wanted to harness our healing factor so that it could be used to save as many lives as possible. As she put it, "We may not win the war, but we might survive it."

I liked that. I preferred the idea of being a healer rather than a killer, a savior rather than a monster. Gaira only tolerated the notion, of course. He still wanted to be out on the battlefield, tearing through the Allies, but the doctors would hear nothing of it. They considered us too valuable to send into battle and possibly lose us. We may heal instantly from regular injuries, but what would happen if we were attacked with flamethrowers or chemical weapons? Could we still heal if our hearts or brains were destroyed? There was word of a dreadful new weapon being developed by the Americans that would spell an end to any opposition, and it seemed that we were the only hope of stopping it, but not by fighting.

We had not been in Japan long before we received word that the Fuehrer was dead by his own hand. We knew then that Germany must have been in the last stages of defeat. The Gargantua program had decisively failed in its initial goal.

Doctor Mizuno continued to run tests on our blood in an attempt to isolate whatever Reisendorf had used to enhance us. It was slow going because neither she nor Susanne, Gaira, or I knew how Reisendorf's formula really worked or what it was made of. Though Mizuno continued to search, she was unwaveringly opposed to testing her findings on human subjects, fearing the disastrous consequences an incorrect mixture could have; her concern and caution were valid but further slowed her work, drawing the scorn of her superiors.

We were particularly daunted by Shinzo, the officer who oversaw all research operations at the hospital. He showed a contempt for us that went beyond mere disregard; this was a disdain for "the failures of Germany" (at first I thought he was referring to the experiment, but Mizuno explained that he was actually saying "the German people, who are failures") that extended to Susanne. We may have been little more than lab rats to Reisendorf, but to Shinzo we were purely a physical resource, like cadavers that just hadn't stopped breathing yet. He would often ignore us and speak to the doctors in our presence as though we were not even there, calling us "Subjects A and B" or "the specimens." On one occasion, when Shinzo did not know we could hear him, he mentioned to Mizuno the possibility of dissecting us and harvesting our organs, but she opposed that, too, and Susanne backed her up on the matter.

Nevertheless, we were running out of time. American forces cut off Japan's oil and began attacking unopposed. The doctors still struggled to recreate Reisendorf's original formula with their limited resources. The Japanese military ordered them to speed things up and to begin testing on non-terminal patients. Mizuno capitulated and selected a young man whose leg had to be amputated. We were hoping against hope for success.

But then our perseverance seemed to pay off! The young man's leg started to regrow. The growth caused him great pain, so he had to be heavily sedated, but at long last, we had made a breakthrough. Gargantua was not a complete failure after all; we simply needed a little more time.

Unfortunately, the government was not willing to give it to us. Instead, in early August, a telegram was sent ordering Shinzo and Mizuno to destroy me, Gaira, and any other evidence of the project rather than risk the precious research falling into the hands of the enemy. However, Mizuno had other plans for us. As she was the first to read the telegram, she thought she could hide the news from Shinzo and escort us to safety before he found out. She could not fit all of us in her car, but she also had a truck at her weekend home outside the city. She left work early to drive there and get the truck. Susanne, my brother, and I intended to sneak out by cover of darkness and meet Mizuno in her apartment in the city, after which she would take us to her family's house in the country, far away from Hiroshima.

It seemed like a decent (though admittedly risky) plan at the time, but it ended in disaster. Shortly after Mizuno left, a second telegram arrived demanding to know why a response had yet to be received. This time, Shinzo read it first, and he approached us with his pistol drawn. Gaira panicked and knocked him out with a single punch to the face, then bolted right out of there. The rest of us followed quickly behind. At the exit, two armed guards drew their guns and prepared to attack us, but Gaira plowed right through them. We had just gone out the door when another officer charged us and began firing. I grabbed Susanne and tried to shield her with my body as Gaira whirled around and charged at the officer, who kept firing at both of us. I felt a sharp pain as his bullets ripped through my abdomen, but it lasted only a second. Gaira punched the man so hard that it took his head clean off, then we started running again.

I suddenly realized that Susanne, who I was still gripping tightly, wasn't running with me. I looked down at her and saw that the bullets that had passed harmlessly through my flesh had mortally wounded her. I cried out and fell to my knees. Gaira came to my side and grabbed her hand. Susanne was the only one who had ever shown him care. Even the kindly Mizuno had been leery of him. Her eyes darkened and her face grew pale. She squeezed Gaira's hand tightly and gently touched my face. She tried to speak, but could only whimper pitifully. Then she went limp. Both of us broke out sobbing and moaning.

An alarm sounded and all of the hospital's guards and the soldiers from the adjacent base came pouring out to fight us. Gaira released Susanne's hand and beat his chest like a gorilla, letting out a shriek of fury that chilled me to the bone. Then he charged like a bull. Their weapons did not slow him down as he ripped one man apart after another. Still they came, and still he fought.

I don't know why I ran, but I did. I abandoned my brother and fled the site as fast as my legs would carry me. I ran until I was out of breath, then I ran some more. I didn't know where I was going. Despite having been in Hiroshima for months, I had never ventured beyond the hospital property before, so the city was utterly alien to me. I felt on the verge of collapse when I saw an old dumpster behind a restaurant and crawled in. The smell was awful, but in my exhaustion and grief I hardly noticed. I had never cried myself to sleep before, which made that night a first.

I awoke the next morning to the sounds of busy people in the streets. I realized that I was trapped, unable to come out of the dumpster without alerting them to my presence but also in danger of being caught if I stayed there. A car pulled up nearby and a moment later I heard two voices right outside, one stern and commanding like a soldier's. I realized he was probably asking the restaurant owner to search the place. Footsteps drew near and, without giving myself a moment to think, I lunged out of the dumpster and took off sprinting down the alleyway. The soldier ran after me, shouting as he went, and soon another joined him. I kept a good distance ahead of them and soon found myself in the street. I saw a manhole and lifted the cover, climbed in, and slammed it back into place so hard that it jammed in the sides of the hole. I dropped down into the sewer below and was about to start running again.

But then the explosion occurred.

Everything shook violently. I thought at first it was an earthquake. Then I was struck by the searing heat, hot enough even below ground to make my flesh feel like it would melt right off my bones. The pain was so great that I lost consciousness almost immediately.

When I woke back up around noon, my body was in shambles and reeked of burned hair and skin. I was healing quickly, but the pain was still immense. I must have sat for an hour, counting the seconds as I recovered, until I had the strength to get up. Then I climbed out of the manhole, thinking that the entire block must have burned to the ground.

Instead, it looked like the city had been completely leveled. As far as I could see – and I could see quite far, as there were no standing buildings to obstruct my view – there were heaps of rubble, ash, and bodies charred beyond recognition. There were people walking aimlessly about, sluggishly, staring into space, all of them covered in burns and bleeding wounds. They were like wandering ghosts, and the sight of them terrified me. I began to blindly run again, trying to get out of the city while I still had a chance.

The rest of that day was mostly a blur. I was lost, alone, confused, and frightened. I made my way outside the city and eventually saw Doctor Mizuno standing outside her weekend home. She rushed me inside and fixed me some food, explaining that after we escaped, the roads were blocked by police (the authorities claimed that a violent lunatic was on the loose in the area) and she could not enter the city. I told her all that had happened. She still did not know what the blast was but had seen the fireball and felt the tremors. If she had tried to sneak back into the city, she would surely have died.

Mizuno took me to her family's old house in Gifu Prefecture that night. That is where I am now and where I will probably remain for the rest of my days. I continue to grow even though I thought I was already at my maximum size before. I don't know why, although I wonder if it had something to do with that explosion, which we now know was the result of what they are calling an atomic bomb, the new weapon the Americans were developing and which has now brought about the end of the war. It has been a few months since then and I am now almost too big to hold pen and paper. Soon I will not be able to stay inside without keeping my head bent over, and Mizuno worries that they may find us. I think I will move into the cave nearby, both for my comfort and to minimize the danger to Mizuno.

She is the only one left who knows that I am alive. Susanne and Reisendorf are both certainly dead. Even if Shinzo survived his injury from Gaira, he must have died in the blast. As for my brother, if he escaped both the soldiers and the destruction of Hiroshima, and was not recaptured elsewhere and slain, he would have come here by now.

In the days since, I have learned the full scope of what was really going on in Germany: the torture, the enslavement, the mass murder of innocent people. In fact, Mizuno told me that in all likelihood Gaira and I were selected from among those in captivity to be experimented on, and that whatever Reisendorf did to us must have destroyed our memories from before. I do not know what to think; between the atrocities committed by my own nation, the equally savage response from the Allies, and the cruel disdain that the Japanese – all save Mizuno – showed for me and my friends, is there really anyplace in the world where people are good? For that matter, did Susanne know that Gaira and I were normal people – maybe even children! – who had been butchered? Did she approve? Did she care? Was she naive enough to believe it was for a good cause?

My life has been tragedy upon tragedy for as long as I can remember. I won't ever be able to live a normal life, and so I have resigned myself to solitude. I wonder, will I die soon from my body burning itself out with all of this growth? Or will I live forever, unable to die? Only time will tell, I suppose. If there is a lesson to my story, it is that we must be humane to remain human. From what I have seen, I doubt humanity as a species is up to the challenge

Sanda, brother of Gaira, son of nobody


	4. Uncertainty

Honda dried her eyes as Mizuno closed the book. Yuma had heard the story already, but his eyes were red and moist, too. Sanda merely hung his head and sighed. Mizuno pretended that her glasses were making her eyes hurt and began wiping them on her kimono.

"We were undisturbed here for over a decade," said Mizuno. "I suppose the old regime gave us up for lost and didn't trouble about it anymore. Four years ago, one of Reisendorf's associates in Germany spoke up about the experiment. Our new leaders had never heard of it, so they investigated. I was the only member of the research team that survived, so they reached out to me. I knew that I couldn't conceal the truth forever, so I introduced them to Sanda and gave them the whole story. I was able to win them over and they agreed to leave him be so long as they always knew his location. He almost never leaves this spot, though, since it's not exactly easy for him to keep a low profile."

"You mentioned the A bomb," said Honda. "Do we know for sure that it's what made him grow like this?"

"It certainly looks that way," said Yuma. "Remember what I said about the tissue being radioactive and feeding on radiation? I think Reisendorf's formula allows Sanda's body to metabolize ambient energy."

"I wonder about Gaira, though," said Honda. "He's not only bigger, but he looks deformed, almost as if-"

Sanda looked up with a surprised grunt and began gesticulating.

"What did he say?" asked Honda.

Mizuno spoke for him. "He didn't know Gaira was still alive. He thought he died in Hiroshima."

"No, he's back," said Yuma. "He must have gone comatose after the blast and drifted out of the bay. He's awake now, but I'm afraid he's become incredibly violent. He attacked a passenger ship and killed many people. And worse, he's inflicted a strange, possibly mortal injury on Godzilla that we don't know how to treat. If Gaira attacks again, we might not have a proper defense against him. Will you help us?"

Sanda signed again while Mizuno interpreted. "Are you asking him to fight his own brother? That's a tall order, you know."

Honda stood up and clasped her hands pleadingly together. "Please, Sanda! I know how important he must be to you, especially with the kinds of mutual experiences you two shared, but you must understand: whatever Gaira may have been before, he's not the man he once was. He's a monster now; he doesn't just look different, he acts like a bloodthirsty animal. He's a killer, and if we don't stop him soon, who knows what kind of damage he could cause!"

Sanda was crestfallen. To hear that his brother was still alive after all these years of uncertainty was enough of a surprise, but to have it immediately followed by news that he was now to be killed was a total shock. Sanda gave them one last message: "I will think on it." Then he returned silently to the darkness of his cave.

Mizuno watched him go apprehensively. "I don't think he'll say yes, even if Gaira has gone as bad as they say." She looked back at her guests, hands clenched apprehensively. "Is it true? Is it true that he…you know… _eats people_?"

"Yes," said Honda. "He ate several passengers on that ship he attacked. I don't know why he'd do it, though."

"Rage," said Mizuno with a shudder. "I don't doubt Gaira has lost whatever sanity he once possessed, and he's bound to be furious at what's become of him. He'd blame us, I know it!"

Honda thought to herself, _I can't really hate him for that. It must seem like the entire world has wronged him. Would I be able to keep my sanity if I'd been through a fraction of what he's suffered?_

Mizuno felt embarrassed that she had led the conversation down such a dark path, so she tried to change the subject. "So, Doctor Yuma, I have the blood sample you asked for. It's waiting in my refrigerator."

"Excellent! Maybe now I can make some real progress."

"Blood sample?" asked Honda. "What blood sample?"

"From Sanda," Yuma explained. "When Omori told me about all of this, I decided to try my hand at recreating the formula Reisendorf used, but so far-"

"Adam!" Honda interjected indignantly. "You can't be serious! What Reisendorf did to those two was barbaric! Why would you try to copy him?"

Yuma held up his hands defensively and explained, "Right now I'm just analyzing it and trying to find out what it's made of. I'm running tests on lab rats, but I'm nowhere near ready for human trials. Now, we know that it succeeded in giving Sanda and Gaira enhanced regenerative properties, and that the same ability could be transferred from one person to another, like the amputee whose leg started to grow back. Moreover, it's resistant to radiation; even if it doesn't purge the radiation from a patient's body, it might hold it at bay long enough for other methods of treatment to take effect." He clasped his hands together. "Kumi, I have patients at the Hiroshima hospital who are still sick from radiation poisoning. I couldn't save most them until now, but this might be the answer!"

"But Adam," Honda pleaded with him, "just think about what it did to Sanda and Gaira! It deformed them and destroyed their memories! If you used it on one of your patients and the same thing happened, it'd be crueler than killing them!"

"I know the risks involved, Kumi. That's why I've been working day and night for weeks to solve that problem. If I can harness the regenerative properties while reducing the other effects, I'll have created a universal curative! We can heal any wound, cure any disease, regrow any body part!"

Honda gave a resigned but still worried sigh and looked away. "I wish I could believe you, Adam, but…that sounds like a terribly big 'if'!"

"You must have faith in our friend, Doctor Honda," said Mizuno, rising from her seat. "If anyone can recreate Reisendorf's formula and do it right, Doctor Yuma is the one! He's brilliant and daring, but also wise and kind."

Honda's lips involuntarily formed a small, sweet smile. "I know," she said gently. "I know that better than anyone."

* * *

It was early evening when Honda and Yuma returned to Hiroshima. Their long car ride back had been mostly silent. However, when they arrived, Yuma did not drive to the military research center but to his primary workplace, the hospital.

"Kumi, there's something I want to show you. Come with me."

Yuma led her inside and into the inpatient clinic. Most of the inpatients were teenagers, some of them clearly too young to have been born before the atomic bombing. They were all lying in their beds, many of them having been confined there for years. Yuma smiled and waved to them all. "Good evening, kids!"

"Good evening, Doctor Adam!" they replied in unison. Some were too weak to raise their voices, but they all returned his smile.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you much lately," said Yuma, "but I've been busy on a big breakthrough. Anyway, I have someone I want you all to meet. This is Kumi Honda, paleontologist, head of Project G, and a very close friend of mine!"

"Hello, Doctor Honda!" said the inpatients. One of them, a girl about sixteen years old, motioned for Yuma and Honda to come closer. Despite being emaciated from radiation sickness, there was still a youthful beauty to her face, and her dark eyes shimmered like polished onyx.

"Little Miss Keiko!" Yuma said cheerily. "How are you?"

The patient hesitated, as though afraid to answer the question. "I'm okay. Miss? May I call you 'Kumi'?"

Honda smiled at the pretty child. "Of course! Glad to meet you, Keiko."

"Thanks. I wanted to ask you about Godzilla." Keiko looked both excited and concerned. "Is he going to get well?"

Honda was stricken by a sudden sadness when reminded of Godzilla. With all the discussion about Gargantua and the mutant brothers, she had forgotten about his plight. "I'm afraid I don't know, Keiko. He lost a lot of his power. To my knowledge, he hasn't even regained consciousness yet."

Keiko looked disappointed. "But he's never lost a battle before! I heard that a flying dinosaur took a dive at him and split him open down the middle, and he just got right back up and beat it to a pulp! Why can't he do the same thing now?"

"I don't know. I think maybe the giant siphoned out his power."

Keiko's eyes lit up as an idea occurred to her. "Maybe you can replenish it somehow! Godzilla uses radiation, right? Maybe if you built a portable reactor, or something that, you could recharge him like a battery!"

Yuma laughed. "A clever idea! We may have to look into that!"

Honda knew from his tone of voice that he was not quite taking Keiko seriously. It was, after all, an oversimplification of a complicated problem. Still, maybe it was something to get them on the right path.

Keiko turned her attention to Yuma. "I want to show you something!" She reached under her bed and pulled out a pillow embroidered with an image of two butterflies sitting face to face on a branch with multicolored blossoms.

Yuma took it in his hands and admired it. "Wow!" he said softly. "You've become quite the artist!"

"Thank you, Doctor! I want you to have it."

Yuma was taken aback. "Oh, Keiko, I couldn't possibly!"

"Please take it. I made it especially for you as a present. You have done so much for me – for all of us – that I had to give you some token of my gratitude."

Yuma smiled, but it was a bittersweet, resigned smile. He tucked the pillow under his arm and leaned in to give his patient a hug. "Thank you, Keiko. I can't tell you what this means to me. I promise you I'm going to do everything I can to make you better!" He stood up and cast another admiring glance at the embroidered pillow before standing up and addressing the rest of the patients. "Well, unfortunately I have to be getting back to my other work now. Take it easy, everyone!"

His patients waved and called kindly after him as he left.

Yuma took Honda back to his car. "Do you understand why I brought you in there?" he asked.

"Of course. You wanted me to see why you do what you do."

"And do you?"

"Yes. I never doubted that your intentions were pure. I just….oh, I still worry about the damage something like that could do if used improperly!"

"I do, too." Yuma put one hand on his waist and looked pensively at the ground. "To tell you the truth, I've thought about it every day since I started this assignment. Sometimes the thought can be discouraging." He looked at the embroidered pillow again. "But then I think about Keiko, and about all the other patients I've worked with over the years. The ones I've saved, the ones I've lost, and those whose fates remain to be seen. I have a chance to do something really special, and I can't pass it down. Maybe something terrible does happen, or maybe my work ends up being misused; but if I don't at least try while this opportunity is open to me, I'll never get a good night's sleep again."

Honda placed her hand on his shoulder. "Like I said, I never doubted that you're in this for all the right reasons. I just want you to be careful, is all."

Yuma nodded solemnly. "I will; I promise. If not for my sake, for yours." He nodded toward the inpatient clinic. "And theirs, of course."

* * *

That night, while Honda slept fitfully in a small hotel room near Godzilla's crash site, Yuma worked late at his lab, separating out the chemicals in the blood sample. After many failures, he believed he had finally found the secret ingredient. There was a strange substance in the blood that he could not identify, something with a crystalline appearance and amber color. He had not seen this substance in the tissue samples that he had collected, but it was quite thick in the blood. He examined it carefully under the microscope and compared the notes that he had made earlier. After many unsuccessful attempts to recreate the formula, he finally had a usable sample.

Eager to press on, he injected tiny amounts of the chemical into one of his rats. As he removed the needle from the creature's body, the prick mark closed instantly. Yuma gasped and quickly took the rat over to his microscope for closer examination. Keeping his subject lightly sedated, he used a scalpel to make careful incisions, then watched in rapturous disbelief as they healed before his eyes. It was working! Or at least it seemed to be, for now; it was best to wait and be sure, Yuma told himself. He put the rat in an isolation cage with the intention of monitoring its progress carefully over the next few days. Once that was done, he made some quick notes and began looking at the tissue he had taken from Godzilla's neck wound.

* * *

Godzilla was still lying prone, half in and half out of the water, when Honda returned to the waterfront the next morning. She found Omori in a tent set up close by and checked in with him.

"Any news, Major?"

"Not much," said Omori. "He's still unconscious but his breathing is steady. His wound is starting to heal, but slowly."

"Do you know what caused the reduced healing in the first place?"

"I'm still waiting to hear back from Doctor Yuma on that..."

A stern male voice called out, "Wait no more."

Honda turned to see General Martin coming, Yuma at his side. Both were looking impatient and frustrated.

"General Martin!" said Honda. "Is everything okay?"

"Not exactly. Care to explain, Adam?"

"Yes, sir," said Yuma. "I've figured out why Godzilla lost so much power."

"Is it some kind of poison?" asked Omori.

"No. I found traces of Gaira's tissue among the sample I took. I compared both sets of tissue to some older samples. Godzilla's tissue from around the bite had lower levels of radiation than usual, almost none at all. Gaira's, however, was saturated with it, when usually it's only slightly radioactive. I think when Gaira bit, he drained power from Godzilla. That supports the theory that the intake of radiation from the A-bomb caused them to grow so large."

"I see," said Honda. "Your patient was right! So what does that mean for us?"

"Well," said Yuma, "Keiko also mentioned repowering Godzilla by treating him like a battery. Thinking about it now, that might actually work! The tricky part is finding a way to do that safely."

"I have a suggestion," Omori chimed in. "We take an atomic ray cannon and modify it. The weapon uses nuclear power, so if we make the proper changes to its intensity, we could beam energy directly to him!"

Martin scratched his chin. "What do you think, Adam? Would it work?"

"Probably, but there's some bad news, too. Godzilla's energy supply is so badly depleted that his body is having to work overtime to repair that wound. He's still able to absorb energy from the environment, but not quickly enough, and it's taking a severe toll on his entire body. I estimate we have two days to revive him before his body wears itself out and we lose him."

Martin's face took on an expression of resolve and confidence. "Alright, I'll get the best engineers I can find and put them to task immediately!"

"Thank you, General!" Honda said excitedly. She looked to Godzilla, feeling worried but determined. She could not be sure, but she felt that perhaps Godzilla had heard her thoughts and responded, _I believe in you. Let's win this together!_


	5. Blood Brothers

Shortly thereafter, Gaira struck again.

Two JSDF warships that had been patrolling the waters of Hiroshima Prefecture spotted him and engaged, firing volleys of shells at the giant. However, Gaira was barely slowed by them. He approached one of the ships and grabbed it in both hands, lifting it clear out of the water, even as it continued firing. He turned and walked with it held over his head toward the second warship, which continued to fire. Several shells hit Gaira's right shoulder and arm, causing him to almost lose his grip on the ship, but his accelerated healing repaired the damage in under five seconds. Gaira lifted the first ship as high as he could and slammed it down onto the second. Both vessels disappeared in a ball of fire and twisted metal. Cackling to himself, Gaira turned and waded toward the shore.

* * *

General Martin got the call right away and hurried to the nearest command post, from which he could receive live updates on Gaira's position and issue orders in response. Honda, Yuma, and Omori came with him and were admitted to the war room.

"Status report!" Martin barked to his subordinates.

"Sir, at 1400 hours, the target came ashore at the mouth of the Ashida River."

"Where is he now?" asked the general.

"The target is heading north toward the mountains in Gifu Prefecture."

Yuma nervously whispered, "Do you think…?"

"It has to be," answered Honda. "He's going to find Sanda."

"Sir," said one of the younger officers present, "the camera crew is in position!"

"Onscreen," said Martin.

A 40-inch CRT screen on one wall crackled to life, displaying a black and white live feed being sent by helicopter. It showed Gaira passing through the forest at a fast walk, paying little attention to the helicopter or to the trees as he trampled them.

"Target's speed: 70 kilometers per hour!"

"Damn!" Martin muttered, looking at his watch. "He'll be there by sundown!" He looked up and called out more orders. "Mobilize the maser unit!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Maser unit?" Honda said to Omori.

"Of course!" Nicholson, the co-inventor of the DGA-59, was present as well. As he spoke, his partner Arkoff entered the room.

Honda was taken by surprise. "Oh, hello, Mister Nicholson! What brings you here?"

"Didn't they tell you? Mister Arkoff and I created the Type-60 Maser Cannon. We're here to watch our little angel earn its wings."

"Best of luck, sir!" said Omori, offering his hand. Nicholson smiled, shook it vigorously, and walked away without giving any further acknowledgment to Honda or Yuma. Omori whispered to them, "Actually, we gave him the blueprints and he had his company build it."

"Oh, of course," said Yuma, adding sarcastically, "totally the same thing."

Nicholson must have been within earshot, because he gave Yuma an intense glare for a few seconds before looking back at the screen. Yuma stifled a laugh. Omori pretended to clear his throat while doing the same.

Honda watched the feed and gauged Gaira's size as he walked by a transmission tower. "It looks like he's grown at least five meters. That'd make him the same height as Sanda."

"Probably from the energy he siphoned from Godzilla," said Yuma. "That makes me wonder what other applications the formula could serve, now that I've found a way-"

Omori nudged Yuma with his elbow. "Remember, the research is still classified. You can us in on the details later."

Honda could not be sure, but she thought she saw Nicholson glaring at them again.

* * *

Mizuno sat at the entrance to the cave with Sanda, listening to the radio as the news of Gaira's incursion came in.

" _The giant humanoid monster is heading toward Gifu Prefecture. It is believed that he is trying to reach the mountains. The defense forces have deployed artillery units including some kind of new directed-energy weapon and are preparing to intercept him in the foothills of the mountains, while fighter jets are being scrambled to funnel him into the target destination. In the meantime, all residents in the surrounding areas are urged to evacuate immediately."_

Sanda's hands were shaking from excitement. Mizuno stood and placed her hand against his foot. "I'm sorry, Sanda. He was always crazy like this, remember? He would fight with Reisendorf during checkups, and he would get violent if he didn't immediately get his way; there's not much chance that he'll ever change. He must be stopped. It'll be better for everyone…including him."

Sanda signed. "I know. But still, he _is_ my brother _..."_

* * *

Gaira stayed among the tall trees, listening to the incoming sound of jets. He could tell that they were getting close, so he crouched, hoping that his green hair would allow him to blend in. The jets swooped down and managed to miss him, but they continued to scout the area and made several more passes, between which Gaira would crawl through the trees, stopping as they swooped toward him. Eventually, though, he became overconfident and kept moving as they approached, allowing himself to be spotted.

Seconds later, the trees were ablaze as bombs and rockets showered the area. Gaira jumped to his feet, smarting from deep wounds, but he recovered quickly and began crawling again, hoping that the fire and smoke would cover his advance, which it did.

The jet squadron continued to search, but they could not see anything. One of the craft came low to the tree line, hoping to get close enough to see something. However, as it passed over, Gaira lunged, knocking it to the ground. Alerted to his position, the others approached, but Gaira began tearing trees from the ground and hurling them, bringing down several more craft. In a panic, the remaining fighters scattered.

* * *

Back at the command post, Martin slammed his fist down on his desk, shouting into his microphone, "Dammit, pull up and regroup! Follow him and make sure he goes where we want him to, but don't engage him unless absolutely necessary!"

Nicholson and Arkoff approached Martin quietly. "Maybe I'm mishearing things," Nicholson said in a low voice, "or just jumping to conclusions…but do those two scientists know about Gargantua?"

"They do," Martin answered. "Doctor Yuma is the one I assigned to take up the project."

"Does he know what it's actually for?"

Martin tensed up but kept his eyes on the screen. "Yes, but I told him he could work according to his own terms until he gave us the go ahead."

"And if that's too late?" asked Arkoff. "What about our alternative? Will you please reconsider your position on-"

"Quiet!" Martin hissed. "We won't discuss it any more here and now, but if this operation goes south, I…I promise to be fair."

"Fair enough," said Nicholson, looking up at the screen. "So I take it that thing is one of the two subjects that went missing."

"Right."

"And the other is in Gifu, where he's heading?"

"Right."

Arkoff cocked his head to one side. "Do you think there's any chance that when they meet, they'll team up against us?"

"Yuma and Omori have told me Sanda is harmless," Martin said, the doubt obvious in his voice, "but you know what they say: blood is thicker than water."

* * *

The maser units arrived at their destination, manned by a JSDF company. The commanding officer barked orders at his troops. "Alright, men! Our target is sixty minutes out! We need the maser units, tripwire cannons, and electrical traps to be in place and operational before then! Get to it!"

A reporter watched over the events, broadcasting live over the radio. "The defense forces are setting up these magnificent new weapons! The masers look like turrets ending in some kind of giant lightbulb incased in a metal frame. They're also setting up smaller devices, about the size of phone booths, with ray guns mounted on the tops. These are called 'tripwire cannons,' designed to shock and stun the target's legs and drive him into the spot where the masers can get a clear shot. Finally, separating the target from the maser tanks is a wide river that is being lined with electrodes. If he tries to charge the masers, he'll have no choice but to go through the river, and in doing so he'll get a nasty shock that will immobilize him. The bloodthirsty monster is sure to be vanquished by the might of these deadly new electronic weapons, truly a magnificent technological achievement!"

* * *

Sanda continued to tremble as he listened, so hard that the ground below him shook, too. _Could Gaira really be that far gone?_ he thought. _He can't be! He and I went through hell together and never lost our respect for one another. He's always been a bit of a jerk, but evil? Never! They just mistrust him because he's a 'monster.' Yes, that must be it! They've been sending that big, ugly lizard to kill anything they don't like, and now that Gaira's back, he'll be next. And then…_

"Sanda?" asked Mizuno. "You have that look in your eyes again! What are you thinking about?"

Sanda signed, "If they kill Gaira, they'll come for me next, and probably lock you up for good measure."

"No! No, no, no, no, no! You mustn't say things like that. Gaira is you brother, I know, and you may still love him, but he's beyond helping! The government is aware of our presence here, as you know, and they've let us be for all this time because you never caused a problem. Gaira showed up and started trouble right away. It's just how he is. It can't be helped."

Sanda did not respond. She was not wrong, but did that make it right? Did that make Gaira any less his brother?

* * *

Gaira arrived at the border of Gifu Prefecture just as the sky was beginning to turn orange. He waded through a river, letting the water sooth his skin. He had spent so much time underwater that being out for too long caused his skin to feel irritated. The cool water of the river was refreshing, and he slowed to let it wash over him as thoroughly as possible. Once he was satisfied, he picked up the pace again.

Just as he was rounding a bend and climbing out of the water, he heard voices shouting. He could not be sure, but he thought they sounded like soldiers. Gaira moved carefully, trying to hide in the tall trees again; he knew they could not kill him, but they could cause him great pain. Suddenly, a helicopter came flying toward him. Afraid it would draw attention to his position, Gaira leaped into the air to knock it down, but it hovered just out of his reach and slowly reversed. He continued to jump and grab at it, but still could not reach.

His movements activated a nearby tripwire cannon, which projected its deadly beam onto his leg just above the ankle. The high voltage current shot up his leg, making it difficult to move, and he had to use all the strength of his other leg to lever himself free. In doing so, he set off another beam, leaving one leg trapped and one aching terribly all the way up to his hip. Gaira cried out and managed to throw himself sideways back toward the river, out of the way of the deadly traps.

Now he faced a new threat. Across the wide river and a long, open field, two masers began firing at him. Unlike the tripwires, which made his legs feel like they were locking up tight, the maser beams burned, and burned deeply. Gaira could feel them cutting almost to the bone. Unable to retreat because of the tripwires and not wanting to place himself out in the open, he fell to his hands and knees, crawling parallel to the river. He was too close to the tree line to be effectively concealed, allowing the masers to hit him several more times, cutting straight through the trees and into his flesh. Gaira tried to go faster, hoping that he could bear the pain until he was out of the masers' field of fire, then outrun them. However, as the assault continued and the beams kept hitting him, he realized that they were injuring him faster than he could heal.

The radio reporter was watching the action live, ecstatically describing every detail to the listeners. "This terrible monster has met his match! The tripwire cannons have weakened his legs and now prevent him from retreating, while the masers keep him from moving in the opposite direction. His only choice is to go right through their field of fire and take hit after hit! I can't be sure of the damage just yet, but based on the awful screams he's letting out, he must be really hurting. Listen!" He held his mic in the direction of the battle, letting Gaira's agonized wail be carried on the airwaves.

* * *

That was all that Sanda could take.

Despite everything he knew to be true of Gaira – his cruelty, his stupidity, his inability to find a peaceful solution – those screams of pain were too much to listen to. He signed for Mizuno to leave him alone, then walked back into the cave and waited for her to get out of the way of the entrance. Then he took off like a bat out of hell, charging at top speed toward the Gifu border, determined to stop his brother's death.

Mizuno could only watch as he disappeared among the mountains and cliffs. "Damn you, Sanda!" she cried as she fell to her knees, a single teardrop splashing on her kimono. "Now I'll lose you _both_!"

* * *

Gaira slogged through the maser attack for almost ten minutes, making no significant headway on his escape. His legs and arms had taken the worst of it, leaving them burned and blistered. He knew he could not keep going forward for long, lest he be rendered immobile and vulnerable. Instead, he opted for a counterattack. He summoned all of his strength, stood upright, and charged, hoping to reach the masers soon enough to smash them before they cut him to pieces. He jumped into the river, expecting to quickly wade to the other side, but his legs locked up again. The troops had activated the electrode field, sending an even worse shock than before surging through him. He could only stand knee-deep in the water, rooted to the riverbed, and flail his arms as the masers strafed up and down his frame. Soon they would destroy his internal organs, and he'd be finished. Completely exhausted and unable to defend himself, Gaira collapsed into the river, thrashing involuntarily as his entire body became electrified.

The flow of electricity stopped suddenly. There was a thunderous roar and a trembling of the ground. Sanda landed in the river next to Gaira and lifted him onto his shoulders, hauling him away as fast as his legs would carry them. The last thing Gaira saw before passing out was the smashed maser cannons and the shocked soldiers gaping at them as they departed.

The reporter's voice shook as he narrated the events unfolding. "Ladies and gentlemen at home, a second giant has appeared in the area! It has destroyed the weapons of the defense forces and is now carrying the other monster away. What are these hideous creatures that have suddenly appeared in Japan? Where did they come from? Will there be more of them? How can they be stopped?"

* * *

Martin was livid as he watched the brothers escape. His face was bright red and his fists gripped so tightly his palms became bruised. "Get the system back up and running _now_!"

" _Sir, the second creature has demolished the generator!_ " a field officer said over the radio. _"We can't get power to the cannons or the electrodes!"_

Martin slammed both fists against his desk. "Goddammit!" he snarled between clenched teeth. "This can't be happening! Not now!"

Silence fell upon the war room. Honda stared in disbelief at the screen, watching as Sanda and Gaira disappeared into the forest. Why would Sanda betray them now? If they did team up for a fight, would it be even remotely possible for Godzilla to stop them both? Yuma despaired, knowing that if Sanda and Gaira disappeared or were killed, his project could not continue; the last few months of work would be for naught and he would continue to lose patients to atomic disease.

Martin finally rose from his desk, folded his hands behind his back, and turned to address Honda and the others. "Doctors, Major Omori, I'm afraid I have to be leaving. I must convene with the President." He stepped forward and put his hands on Honda's shoulders, speaking words of reassurance. "Best of luck. I hope you can get Godzilla back on his feet soon. Good day to you all, and good luck."

As Martin departed, Nicholson and Arkoff followed him out, shaking their heads in disappointment.

"Well," said Yuma with a heavy sigh, "I'd better be going, too. I have to check on some…things, you know." He paused as though trying to think of what to say next. After a few moments, he simply shrugged and left the war room.

"What about you, Doctor?" Omori asked Honda.

"Bed," she replied glumly. "A day this bad, might as well end it early."

* * *

Gaira awoke feeling groggy and sore. He thought at first that his eyes had been damaged during the battle, for everything around him was dark save for a rippling blue glow. As his eyes adjusted, he realized that he was in a pool of water inside a cave. The strange blue light was created by bioluminescent bacteria in the water, reflecting off the walls of the cave in a beautiful rippling display.

Sanda leaned over and helped him to a sitting position. Gaira whimpered happily at the sight of him. Sanda signed, "Remember me?"

Gaira nodded wearily.

Sanda struck up a conversation. "How did you survive?"

Gaira replied with clumsy signage forming broken sentences. "Escaped. Beach. Submerged when explosion. All can remember."

"Thought you were dead. Glad to see you, brother."

"Same, brother." Gaira sat up straight with a groan. Sanda put an arm around him to hold him steady, but Gaira shook his head and leaned away.

 _That's him, alright_ , thought Sanda. _Always has to be the big toughie._

Gaira scooped up a handful of water and slurped it, then began signing to Sanda again. "We different. Others enemies. Must destroy."

"No! Not all of them. Mizuno lives, and she has shown me great kindness. She lives close by, showed me these caves. We can rely on her for help."

Gaira snorted disdainfully, then lay down and closed his eyes. Sanda wanted to be angry with him, but instead all he could feel was pity. Gaira's suffering had been far worse than his own. Was it any surprise that he had such hatred in his heart? Sanda looked over Gaira's wounds. They were nasty and numerous, but they were beginning to heal. Content that they were safe for the moment, he lay next to his brother and fell asleep.


	6. A House Divided

Yuma did not actually return to the research center that evening. He was so deeply troubled and disappointed with the recent turn of events that he went straight home and drank himself to sleep. However, he awoke the next morning with a desire to know what had become of his rat. He drank a cup of coffee to quell his headache and set out.

Upon entering his lab, Yuma froze in surprise. The isolation cage containing the experimental rat had burst open from within and the animal was gone! Not only that, but the other cage containing the normal rats had been smashed and its residents torn apart, a few of them looking like they had been partially eaten. Yuma locked the door and cautiously approached the table of cages, watching where he stepped. He could not find the missing rat under the table or on any other nearby surface. There was only one window in the lab. He moved quickly to make sure that it was locked tightly, but just as he verified that it was, he heard a rasping hiss from behind him and whirled around, his heart racing and palms sweating.

The experimental rat lay on the floor nearby. The animal had grown to nearly a meter long from its snout to the end of its tail. Its fur was ragged and patchy, revealing translucent skin stretched tight over bulging musculature and swollen blood vessels. One eye was engulfed in a bulbous tumor; the other was completely bloodshot. Most of its claws and teeth had fallen out, but it still had two large, vicious-looking incisors on its upper jaw. There was a copious amount of blood, flesh, and white fur in its mouth; the mutant had definitely killed and preyed on the other rats. Now, however, it lay on its side, fighting for breath, bleeding from its mouth and nostrils, and barely moving.

Yuma was devastated by the gruesome fate he had inflicted on his animals. Knowing that the most humane thing to do would be to put the mutant out of its suffering, he quickly filled a syringe with Nembutal and approached the animal slowly. He kneeled and, placing one hand on its side, began to press the needle in.

The rat hissed and squirmed, prompting Yuma to pull away. The creature sprang to its feet, spitting blood and baring its teeth. It eyed Yuma angrily and lunged. The doctor dodged just in time, allowing the mutant to land on the counter and crash into an array of test tubes. Yuma grabbed a lab coat off the wall, threw it over the rat and carried it by the sleeves so that it could not bite or slash at him. He placed the writhing bundle on his desk and readied the needle for another try, but the rat made another sudden move that caused him to jump back again and drop the syringe to the floor. There was a scalpel sitting on his desk, so he snatched it up and, as the rat wriggled out of its covering, drove the blade between its eyes. The rat rolled onto its side again, panting and twitching. Not knowing if the wound would heal or not, he grabbed the Nembutal and, with a pang of guilt, delivered the _coup de grâce._

Once he was sure that the rat was dead, Yuma collapsed into a chair and stared vacantly at the ceiling. The incident came as a shock to him; thirty-six hours ago, he had been sure that his experiment was a success, but now…

Sanda awoke feeling sore from the previous night's adventure. He had carried his brother a long distance through the mountains and down into the caves. He turned groggily over to face Gaira, but found that he was not there.

Worried that his brother might have wandered off and become lost in the massive cave system, Sanda quickly searched the nearby corridors, hoping he would be somewhere close. He had no idea how long Gaira had been gone or how far he had managed to go, and there was no telling which tunnel he had taken. Sanda tried to think of a reason for Gaira to have left; maybe that would help deduce where he had gone. Was he hungry? Did the coldness of the cavern irritate his wounds? Had he just decided to go back to the ocean?

Sanda's heart sank as another possibility suddenly occurred to him. Gaira was angry at humanity, especially the people who had experimented on him, and Sanda had told him that Mizuno lived nearby. Terrified that Gaira might have lumped her in with the rest and gone after her, Sanda took the tunnel leading directly toward the cliff near Mizuno's house, moving with a speed fueled by fear.

He found Gaira resting against the cliff face just outside the cave entrance, peacefully snoring. Sanda looked toward Mizuno's property and balked at the sight of her house, smashed to pieces. His eyes darted about, hoping to see some sign that Mizuno had escaped safely. He took another look at Gaira and gasped in horror.

Gaira's lips were stained with blood, and shreds of Mizuno's favorite Kimono were dangling from between his teeth.

In that moment, all Sanda could think about was all the times when Gaira had been stupid, brutish, or cruel, and all the kindness that Mizuno had shown him in the last fifteen years. He regretted saving Gaira and taking him to safety, brother or no. Outraged, Sanda grabbed a tall tree and tore it up by the roots with a single tug.

Gaira opened his eyes and looked at his brother wearily, not comprehending what was about to happen. Now Sanda's thoughts turned to the positives of their time together, how they had bonded as children and shared most of the same experiences. He knew what had to be done now but was not sure he could bring himself to do it. Gaira closed his eyes again and gave a loud snore. The shredded garment in his teeth fluttered as his breath passed over it. Sanda did not hesitate a moment longer. With a guttural roar, he threw himself at Gaira and struck him on the head with the tree.

Faster than Sanda could blink, Gaira had knocked him over and thrown the tree to the side. He beat Sanda with both fists, shrieking in anger. Sanda kicked him away and got to his feet, but Gaira attacked again, grabbing his left arm and sinking his teeth into it. Sanda yelped and pummeled furiously at Gaira's back with his free hand. Gaira broke away but charged again, ramming Sanda with his head and knocking him down. He then raised one foot and brought it down full force on Sanda's left leg above the knee until the bone snapped loudly. Sanda hissed in pain, grabbing at his leg. He sat up and caught just a glimpse of Gaira running away, quickly becoming obscured by the trees and mountains.

Sanda examined his leg. The bone appeared to be shattered; the wound would take more time to heal than a clean break, and even once it was whole, he expected the shards of bone still in his thigh to limit his mobility. He needed to stop Gaira, but he could not catch up to him in this condition, nor could he risk being out in the open for long while not in top running condition. Instead, he limped back into the cave and went down a tunnel that he hoped would lead him in the same direction in which Gaira was heading.

Honda arrived at Godzilla's crash site in the late afternoon to see the modified DGA-59 almost completed. The engineers were making a few changes to wiring before they could put all of the internal components they had removed and tampered with back inside. Honda felt a rush of excitement, knowing that it would not be long now before Godzilla could be revived. However, when she walked into the major's tent, she was surprised to see Omori and Yuma waiting for her in grim silence.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Omori motioned toward a seat. "Please, sit. I'll let Doctor Yuma explain."

Yuma described his encounter with the mutant rat in great detail. A shiver ran down Honda's spine as she listened. When he was done, she looked him up and down, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you sure you're alright? It didn't bite you anywhere, did it?"

"I'm fine, Kumi. I checked myself thoroughly for cuts and took a full decontamination shower." Yuma looked at the ground sullenly. "Still…I don't suppose you'd like to take this opportunity to say, 'I told you so'!"

Honda took his hand and tried to comfort him. "That's not what either of us needs right now. Besides, maybe you were right and it just needs time!"

"We don't have time," Omori interjected. "We just got a call from General Martin. He just received permission from the government to transport all of our research to the UN special weapons division. They want to start human trials immediately."

Honda bristled and sat bolt upright. "What?!"

"The idea of Sanda and Gaira teaming up has him and the entire UN Security Council shaking in their shoes. Martin thinks it's time to see if he can get Reisendorf's plans right. Fight fire with fire, as they say."

"That's ridiculous!"

"It's insane," said Yuma. "The chemical Reisendorf used…it's toxic, plain and simple. That mutant rat proves it! Martin must be really desperate to go ahead with this after what just happened."

"Desperate times," said Omori. "If he really thinks the situation is that dire, he wouldn't hesitate to pull rank and make it happen, whether you think it's ready for the next phase or not."

"Next phase?" asked Honda. "Was this the goal all along?"

Omori and Yuma looked away in silence.

Honda felt on the edge of lashing out in anger, but tried to remain clam. "It _was_ , wasn't it?"

Yuma let out an exasperated sigh. "You're right. Martin's been working on this for a few years now…and I have, too."

Honda squeezed her free hand into a fist. She felt that Yuma had betrayed her trust and their mission statement, but she listened as he spoke.

"The general and I thought we might stand a better chance against the monsters if we could make troops who were strong enough to fight them, man to beast. First, we tried to unlock Godzilla's regenerative powers, but tests showed that the G1 – the organelle that gives Godzilla his advanced healing ability – was destructive to other creatures. After the Fukuoka battle, Martin fished up Manda and Varan's corpses and had them analyzed, hoping they had similar powers that we could use, but they didn't. Eventually he told me about Gargantua and I signed on for the project, but only on the condition that there wouldn't be any more human subjects until we were sure-"

"MOREhuman subjects?" Honda asked in alarm.

Yuma's face went pale. He took a deep breath and continued. "Yes. Martin had me conduct experiments on several of his soldiers. Volunteers, mind you, but real, living people all the same. We couldn't synthesize the G1, and if we tried to use the actual thing, the body would try to fight it, but the G1 would win, and the host…" Yuma's voice trailed off. He grew paler still as tears flowed from his eyes.

Honda unclenched her fist and handed him a handkerchief. She had never seen him so distraught before. She no longer felt angry at him; true, he had done something horrifying, but he knew it and thinking about it was making him physically ill. His sorrow was penance enough in her book. Staying angry at him would not fix anything.

When Yuma handed Honda's handkerchief back to her, his face had hardened with righteous indignation. "I doubt Reisendorf's formula could ever work properly. Even if they find a way, think of how many more lives will need to be sacrificed getting there!"

Omori's radio crackled as an update came in. _"Attention! The monster Gaira has been sighted leaving Gifu Prefecture in the direction of Hiroshima. He is running at a speed of nearly 400 kilometers an hour!"_

Omori jumped to his feet. "Dammit!" he hissed. "Private, get me the air defense force!"

"Yes, sir!"

"What are you going to do?" asked Yuma fearfully.

"I'm going to tell our boys to throw everything they've got at him to slow him down, otherwise we won't have this cannon finished in time!"

Honda peeked out of the tent to get a closer look at Godzilla. His wound had healed substantially, but he looked weak; not frail or skinny, but his muscle mass had decreased visibly. His breathing was raspy and labored. She watched the engineers putting the finishing touches on the cannon, working at double pace in response to their major's orders. An idea occurred to her suddenly. "Major," she said, "I think we might need to take a shortcut if we want Godzilla to be able to fight in time!"

"Shortcut?"

"If we decrease the radioactive output below hazard level, we'd have to leave it running all night to give him the power he needs for a battle. But if we fire it at full power and inundate him with radiation-"

Omori stared at her like she was crazy. "That's suicide, Honda! _We'd_ be inundated, too!"

"Maybe not," said Yuma, standing up. "We have radiation gear at the research center. I can be back in half an hour with enough suits for all of us."

Omori shook his head. "What about additional contamination? Danger to civilians?"

"As long as we have the cannon facing seaward, most of the radiaiton will be directed away from the city. At most, we're talking a hundred-meter radius, easy enough to clear."

Omori frowned. He was still uncertain.

"What other choice do we have?" Yuma said, his voice trembling with anticipation. "We've got to do this _now_!"

Omori thought for another moment before giving a reluctant nod of approval. "Thirty minutes, Doctor. Don't make us wait."

Sanda was beyond furious with himself.

His leg ached and throbbed with every step he took. In the darkness of the tunnels, he stumbled, fell, and bumped into walls repeatedly. He could no longer be sure where he was going, but he thought it was back toward Hiroshima, where Gaira had been before. Surely that was where he would return to.

Sanda blamed himself for many things in that moment. He blamed himself for having killed Gaira in a moment when he should have been able to do so with ease. For rescuing him in the first place and allowing Mizuno to die. For not making a torch before he went into the dark depths of the tunnels.

He limped and lumbered onward, propelled by a burning desire to atone, to right his wrongs, and, most viscerally and intensely, to get revenge on his bloodthirsty brother. As much as they had been through together, Gaira had crossed the point of no return and could not be allowed to live.

Sanda stopped to catch his breath, cradling his aching leg, but only for a moment. He could hear waves breaking in the distance and knew that he was nearing a place where the tunnels led to an underwater cave. Once he was able to, Sanda pressed on again. He was determined to set things right and would not stop until he had personally put an end to Gaira's rampage.

Yuma pulled up to the research center in a JSDF truck, accompanied by three of Omori's men. He led them to the radiation research laboratories and showed them the protective suits. "Grab as many as you can and load them into the truck. I must see to something first!"

Yuma ran upstairs to his lab and called the hospital on his phone. "Are the inpatients out? Where's Keiko?"

" _They're all out,"_ said the nurse on the other end. _"We were told to get everyone to the subway."_

"Good! I have to go, but tell Keiko and the others that I'll see them soon!"

Yuma rifled through the papers on his desk, taking out everything related to Gargantua and placing it on a cart. He then placed all of his other research materials on the project– the chemicals, the tissue samples, everything relevant – on the same cart and pushed it over to his incinerator.

 _Enough is enough_ , he said to himself. _I don't want any part of this, and they won't use my work for it. With any luck, in a few hours Sanda and Gaira will both be dead, and Gargantua will be finished once and for all!_

As he opened the intake door, he felt a twinge of doubt. He had put his heart and soul into Gargantua. It had become his life, his purpose, his every waking thought. Was he throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime? What about the promise he had made to Keiko? He imagined her face, regaining its shape and volume until her youthful beauty was fully restored.

Then he remembered his previous experiments under Martin, and how terribly things had gone wrong, and how badly they could go wrong if they tried again. Even if he was permitted to continue the research on his own terms, the consequences of making a mistake would be disastrous. And where would it end? Would armies of mutant soldiers one day conquer the world? Would even more good people be transformed into vengeful brutes like Gaira? Again he saw the image of Keiko, her face now shifting and warping, becoming deformed like Gaira's.

That did it. He dumped everything into the incinerator and watched it all turn to ash.


	7. The War of the Gargantuas

The sky over Hiroshima was completely overcast, an endless mass of dull grey that created an atmosphere of gloom and uncertainty that dovetailed with the noise of a city being evacuated and the looming dread of approaching battle. Leading Godzilla into combat on a remote island or out in the sea was one thing; the unlikelihood of collateral damage made even the difficult fights seem easier. But in a populated city, the danger was much more immediate and a single mistake could cost hundreds of lives, a scenario in which anything short of the opponent's total defeat was effectively failure. That was taxing on body and mind alike.

Honda and Omori stood outside the major's tent, waiting impatiently for Yuma's arrival. They said nothing and did not look at each other, but stared anxiously in the direction of the hospital. After what felt like an eternity, they saw a HAZMAT truck barreling down the street, finally screeching to a halt directly in front of them.

Yuma jumped out of the passenger's seat. "Sorry for the holdup," he said as the team followed him to the back of the truck to get their gear.

Omori helped them hand out equipment to the others. "I just hope it was soon enough! We just got word that Gaira is on the outskirts of the city. If we're fast, Godzilla might be able to catch him before he gets far out to sea."

"I don't think he's going out to sea," said Honda, fumbling with her suit. "He ran all along the coast to get here; he could've left the land at any point along the way."

Omori grunted as he squeezed himself into a tight-fitting suit. "So why _did_ he come all the way here?"

Yuma finished putting on his suit and helped Honda with hers while she explained. "Thanks, Adam. Major, if Gaira's coming here alone, that probably means he and his brother ended up fighting after all. If I had to guess, I'd say he's coming back here to finish off Godzilla and absorb the rest of his power so he can defeat Sanda."

"In that case, we have no time to lose," said Omori, fitting his helmet on. "Alright, let's get this show on the road! Private Negishi!"

Negishi took his position at the turret and switched on the cannon's motor. "Ready to begin, Major!"

"Major!" another soldier called out. "Something's coming out of the water!"

Everyone looked to the sea as a colossal figure emerged and moved toward the shore. It was Sanda, who had used the underground tunnels to reach the ocean and arrive in Hiroshima at the same time as Gaira. Omori's men frightfully backed away with guns drawn, ready to fire or flee at any moment. Sanda raised his hands to show that he meant no harm, then began making gestures.

"What is it?" said Omori. "Is he signing?"

"Yes!" said Yuma. He looked around and called out, "Do any of you read sign?"

"I do!" said a young officer named Matsui. "He says he's here to help!"

"And why would he help us?" Omori demanded to know.

Sanda continued signing while Matsui interpreted. "He says, 'I made a mistake. Gaira is still bad. He killed…Mizuno,' I think."

Honda put a hand to her chest and let out a saddened gasp while Yuma closed his eyes and groaned.

Sanda and Matsui carried on. "Gaira attacked me when I confronted him. I came here by the tunnels to stop him. I am sorry and am ready to atone for what I have done wrong if you will let me."

Omori spoke scornfully. "Why should any of us believe him?"

"I do," said Yuma. "I know him, and I know he wants what is right. He is not the same as Gaira!"

Omori was unconvinced. "But he betrayed us once already! For all we know, he could be stalling to let Garia escape; or worse, he came here to fight with him!"

Yuma stood his ground. "We _need_ him right now! We don't know how long the cannon will take to work, and maybe Sanda can hold Gaira off long enough…"

As the two men continued to argue, Honda heard a sound, the distant rumble of giant footsteps. Gaira was drawing near! She kept her gaze on Sanda. She could see the worry on his face and the guilt in his eyes. She needed to be sure, though. She closed her eyes and focused, trying to read his mind like she often did with Godzilla. She had never read the mind of another being; with Godzilla, it was as effortless as picking up the handset of a telephone, but communicating with an individual who did not themselves possess the psychic link ability was more like trying to pick up a radio signal with only her ears. It took every ounce of her will and her complete concentration, and Sanda's inner thoughts were still not clear to her, but she could sense his feelings. There was sympathy, regret, and a desire for redemption.

"I can read him," she said, opening her eyes. "He's telling the truth."

Omori and Yuma stopped arguing and looked at her with surprise. They exchanged another doubtful glance with each other, then Omori's face softened. "Very well," he said, looking up at Sanda. "I can make no guarantees as for what will become of you later, but I need your help now and will do what I can to ensure your protection afterward."

The distress on Sanda's face melted away, replaced by determination. He saluted and came ashore, trudging into the city, carefully avoiding buildings and people. Honda watched him go and noticed his limp. She did not know how he acquired it, but she knew that if Gaira was not up to talks, Sanda would not be able to keep him at bay for long.

Omori grabbed his portable radio and spoke into it. "All units, all units: this is Major Omori. There are two giants in the city. The green one is dangerous; the brown one is on our side. Make no attempt to engage either. I repeated: do not engage either monster. Focus on evacuating civilians to the shelters and subways." He switched off his radio and pointed to his engineers. "Now, get back to your positions and let's fire the cannon! Remember, we might only get one shot at this, so let's make it count!"

* * *

Gaira barreled through the city, shrieking like a banshee as he plowed through buildings and trod upon vehicles and fleeing civilians. He could sense Godzilla's radiation signature; the wounded beast was not much farther ahead, and still vulnerable. Good! He was in no mood to play with his food. The sooner he could assimilate all of Godzilla's power, the sooner he could begin his quest for revenge in earnest. He had eliminated all of his enemies but one, and the most powerful at that: his treacherous brother. If Gaira wanted to defeat him once and for all, he would need all the power he could get.

He almost had Godzilla in sight when Sanda stepped out from behind a tall building and blocked his path. Gaira skidded to a stop, surprised and alarmed to see him there. Sanda held his hands up pleadingly and began to sign. "Please listen to me. You must stop!"

Gaira bared his teeth and replied with, "You hurt me."

Sanda nodded his head apologetically. "I was afraid and angry. I'm sorry!"

Gaira's expression did not change, and he repeated his message. "You HURT me."

"And I don't want to hurt you again," Sanda signed. "We can settle this peacefully, together. There is no need for violence."

"You hurt me," Gaira repeated again. "THEY hurt me."

Sanda could see that Gaira was not ready to discuss things calmly, but he had to try. "We can do better than them. It's not too late. You wanted to be a brave warrior. Are you ready?"

"Let's find out!" said Gaira, and without another word, he threw himself upon Sanda.

The two giants hit the ground together. Gaira remained on top and attempted to throttle his brother, but Sanda kicked him away. Doing so caused a hot pain to jolt through his injured leg as shards of bone cut through his flesh. Gaira fell through a building with a cry of pain but was up again in an instant. Seeing that Sanda had yet to right himself, he tried to rush past before he could recover. Sanda saw the move coming and reached out with both hands, bringing Gaira down. Gaira tried to kick out, but Sanda would not let go. He knew that if Gaira reached Godzilla first, the fight would be lost.

* * *

Once everyone was back in their positions and the cannon had been powered up again, Omori gave his orders to Negishi. "Targeting position!"

The cannon was rotated to aim directly at Godzilla's dorsal spikes. "Target acquired!"

"Atomic power on!"

At the push of a button, the cannon's battery began to hum with power. Negishi could feel the metal beneath him getting hot. "Charging….Full power available!"

"Begin discharge!"

"Beginning discharge, sir!"

The dish of the cannon crackled with a soft glow and the hum of its miniature reactor intensified. A stream of white light shot from the dish and collided with Godzilla's spikes. The air was boiling hot in only a few seconds. Even with her suit, Honda felt sweaty and slightly disoriented. And yet, there was no sign of activity from Godzilla.

 _Come on!_ she pleaded. _Please w_ _ake up!_

* * *

By the time Gaira broke free of his brother's grasp, Sanda was able to get back to his feet. Gaira spun around and showed his claws like a big cat, snarling and gnashing his teeth.

Sanda tried in vain to reason with him again. "Please let me help you! I'm not your enemy!"

Gaira did not reply. Sanda took a step closer and was met with a kick to the chest that put him back on the ground. Gaira took off at a run toward Godzilla. Sanda grabbed two parked cars that had been abandoned during the evacuation, and threw one and then the other at Gaira's head. The first only grazed his ear, but the second struck the base of his skull, letting out a loud honk as the horn was impacted. Gaira continued to stagger forward with his aching head drooping in front of him for a few steps before he planted his face on the ground.

Sanda quickly caught up, but then Gaira rose to his feet, grabbed Sanda under the arms, lifted him up and body slammed him through a four-story building. He stomped on Sanda's chest and then his neck, holding his foot there to cut off his breath. Sanda kicked and writhed, but every breath came hard and painful. Then he grabbed Gaira by the legs and turned on his side, throwing him to the ground.

Having given up on reasoning with his brother, Sanda climbed on top and pummeled him hard, but Gaira grabbed the nearest object, another abandoned vehicle, and smashed it against Sanda's temple. The impact crushed the truck and knocked Sanda unconscious. Gaira rolled him over and, once certain that he was really out cold, decided not to wait to finish the fight. He licked his lips and opened his mouth wide, ready to rip out Sanda's throat.

* * *

Just as Honda was beginning to despair that the plan had failed, Godzilla's spikes lit up, showing their familiar blue glow. She concentrated and felt him beginning to regain consciousness. His brain activity was low at first, but then his mind sprang to life and bombarded her with images and information. Then a message came through, loud and clear.

 _I'm back!_

The glow was getting brighter and brighter, forcing the onlookers to avert their eyes. The low hum of the cannon's battery turned into a whining sound that hurt their ears even through the suits. "Shut it down!" shouted Omori. "It's unstable! Shut it down!"

Negishi could not hear him over the noise. He clinched his eyes closed and pressed his hands against his helmet over his ears, trying not to go deaf and blind. Meanwhile, the cannon became increasingly unstable. Omori, fearing an explosion, dashed forward, pushed Negishi aside, and threw the lever. The whining turned to crackling and the light from the cannon went out, but the blue glow still enveloped all, shining bright against the darkened sky. It died down gradually, allowing Honda and the others to slowly open their eyes and see the results of their work.

Godzilla stood fully erect in water up to his knees. His eyes opened gradually, revealing their fiery glow, and his lips peeled back to show his long, fierce teeth, glistening in the blue light. The wound on his neck was completely healed, and though his body was not as robust and imposing as usual, the radiation was already regenerating his muscle mass, and the grace and power in his posture and movement was still undeniably present. Honda wept with joy to see him up again. Despite the rage and vengeance she could see in his face, she could sense what he was really thinking: _Thank you, my friend!_

Yuma, Omori, and all others present shouted and cheered to see Godzilla standing strong. Throwing back his head, he let out a roar as mighty as thunder, defying any opponent who might challenge him.

Gaira heard and stopped just before finishing off Sanda. He saw Godzilla standing and growled angrily. His fool of a brother would have to wait.

Yuma put his hand on Honda's shoulder. "Time for some magic, Kumi!"

Honda looked Godzilla in the eyes and spoke mind to mind with him. _Try to lead him into shallow water. Keep him out of the city but don't let him swim away!_

 _I understand,_ came the reply. _You should get out of the way. This fight will be hard._

 _Be careful!_ Honda urged him. She turned to Yuma. "Let's go!"

Omori barked orders to his team. "Negishi, Matsui, get the ray gun out of here, carefully! Everyone else, pile into the trucks and follow me to the shelter!"

As the rest of their comrades departed, Negishi and Matsui hitched the cannon cart to the last truck left on site. Once that was done, they hopped in and Matsui turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened. Matsui kept turning the key, but there was still no response. The truck was stalled. "Dammit!" said Negishi. "What do we do now?"

Gaira roared and swiped the air with his claws, angry that he had been denied a quick meal and an easy escape. He did not advance but stayed in place, bellowing and gesticulating violently. Godzilla stayed at the edge of the water, sizing up his foe. Gaira had continued to grow at vastly accelerated speed due to all the power he had taken from Godzilla, and now the two were roughly the same height. Godzilla was reluctant to move into the city, where evacuations were still underway, but there was no mistaking that Gaira was challenging him to a fight rather than trying to get away.

Meanwhile, Honda and the others hunkered down in a small underground shelter, one which had been reserved for them so they would not contaminate other refugees with the radioactive residue on the outsides of their protective suits. They could not see outside and what sounds they could hear were partially drowned out by the wailing sirens.

"I wish I knew what was going on up there," Omori grumbled, more afraid than frustrated.

Honda closed her eyes and focused. "I'm in telepathic contact with Godzilla," she said. "Give me just a second."

While Yuma and the rest watched her in suspense, Honda peered into Godzilla's mind. With a little extra concentration and deeper probing, she was able to see things above ground through his eyes.

"Gaira's still among the buildings," she told the others, keeping her eyes closed. "He's not attacking, but he's gesturing and yelling, like a threat display." She squinted as she dug deeper. "Let me try something else. I want to see if I was right about why he's here."

She pulled away from Godzilla's senses and began probing other parts of his mind. She finally found something, a kind of telepathic line out. She recalled how he had used it to peer into the mind of Rodan, who did not share his psionic capabilities. Clearing all else from her mind and concentrating on that link, Honda was able to extend her reach to Gaira and looked into his mind.

He sensed her and looked right back.

Honda snapped back to reality with a horrified gasp. "Oh no!"

Yuma grabbed her arm as she shook with fright. "What is it? What's happening?"

"I was right! He's here to kill Godzilla!"

Omori knew from her panicked state that something had gone wrong. "And?"

Honda looked up at him fearfully, still trembling. "And he knows where we are!"

Gaira sprinted toward the shelter. He did not fully understand the nature of the psychic exchange, but he knew that the woman who invaded his mind was hiding there, and that his opponent would move to intercept him if he tried to go between them. Godzilla had no choice but to try. Gaira sneered as he ran, knowing he was certain to get there first. Godzilla knew it, too, so he began charging an atomic energy attack.

"Wait!" Honda called to him, shouting out loud in addition to speaking mentally. "Don't fire your beam in the city!"

 _Trust me!_ Godzilla replied.

Gaira dropped to his knees and plunged his hand straight through the concrete over the shelter like it was balsa wood. He ensnared the first person unlucky enough to be caught in his grasp, a soldier, and popped him in his mouth. He thrust his hand back in and nearly caught Yuma. Honda tackled him and they both fell to the ground just out of his grasp, but Gaira continued to feel around for someone to snatch next.

Finally Godzilla spoke to Honda again. _Here I am!_

Gaira pulled his arm out from the hole and stood up, ready to meet his attacker head-on. Godzilla continued to build up energy as he came closer. When he was near enough, Gaira charged, bellowing maniacally. Godzilla, still running, bent into a crouching position and thrust both hands forward to grab him. Gaira jumped at the last moment to get over him.

In the blink of an eye, Godzilla's tail lashed out in an upward arc, similar to the Megeguirus' stinger and just as fast. His tail went right between Gaira's legs as he flew overhead, then reversed its arc, smacking against the manbeast's back and driving him into the ground, stunning him temporarily. A few seconds of vulnerability was all Godzilla needed. He lifted Gaira with both hands, spun once all the way around, and let go, sending him soaring toward the bay. Godzilla let loose his breath attack at an upward angle so that the beam cleared the tops of the buildings and struck Gaira's chest, inflicting massive burns to his torso and propelling him farther through the air.

Negishi and Matsui, who had still failed to get the cannon out of the way, screamed and ran when they saw the monster falling toward them. Gaira landed in shallow water, the impact causing further injuries. With severe burns, multiple fractures, possibly ruptured internal organs, profuse bleeding, and a bit of a charley horse, Gaira was down for the count. Godzilla, remembering how fast he had healed last time, closed in to finish him off.

Honda, who had remained linked with Godzilla again during the maneuver, cheered upon seeing what he had done. "He's got Gaira on the ropes now!"

Gaira dragged himself on his belly toward the shore. His broken body was pulling itself back together, but not nearly fast enough. Godzilla's view of him was partially blocked by the buildings, but he had only seconds until they were face to face. Gaira tried to think. In his condition, he could not retreat and he could not fight back. Godzilla was already charging up for the killing blow. He had to think fast!

Gaira saw the modified cannon, abandoned by Negishi and Matsui. With its shielding damaged by the sheer power of its last discharge, the unstable reactor had begun to leak. Gaira reached toward it, thinking perhaps he could throw it at Godzilla to buy some time, but when he touched it, some of the radiation was absorbed by his body, and his arm started to repair itself, more rapidly than he had ever been able to heal before. Realizing this was the same energy that invigorated him in the atomic blast, Gaira saw a chance to become stronger than ever. He ripped the cannon off its turret and broke open the outer armor to expose the core, which he then swallowed whole.

When Godzilla came out from amongst the buildings, Gaira struck him with a colossal punch that knocked him off his feet, then lifted him over his head and body slammed him. The radiation had not only reinvigorated Gaira but improved him; his wounds had healed and his grey skin was drawn taut over massive, bulging muscles. Godzilla snarled and made ready to fire his beam again, but then he noticed a faint blue glow peeking through the tight skin around Gaira's abdominal region.

"He ate it!" Honda cried out. "He ate the power core!"

Yuma squeezed her arm in horrified surprise. "What?! Are you sure?"

"I can see the blue light, in his belly!"

"Dammit!" Yuma punched the ground. "If he hits it with his ray, it'll blow!"

Omori looked to Yuma with concern. "How big of an explosion would it be?"

Yuma shuddered fearfully. "I can't be sure. Even if the blast itself is concentrated, the entire city could be irradiated!"

Honda was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. "Oh, this is my fault! I shouldn't have suggested keeping the power levels so high!"

Yuma lifted her face by the chin of her helmet and looked into her eyes. "It's not your fault! If we hadn't done it, Gaira would have gotten the core anyway _and_ killed Godzilla, so we'd be doubly screwed! Focus! We need you right now!"

Honda nodded, still holding back tears, and tapped into Godzilla's senses again.

Godzilla got back on his feet just as Gaira rushed forward and swung at him. Godzilla matched the blow, and their fists collided with tremendous force. The shockwave from the impact toppled a few nearby buildings and caused both monsters to stumble backwards. Godzilla was nursing a sprained wrist, but Gaira's forearm had crumpled like cardboard. _Surely he can't recover from THAT so easily_ , thought Godzilla, but he was wrong. A current of blue energy ran from Gaira's torso down the length of his arm, which shook spasmodically as the muscles and bones returned to their original shape. The process was completed in less than ten seconds, while the ligaments in Godzilla's wrist had not quite regenerated in that time. Seizing this advantage, Gaira tried a push kick, but Godzilla turned and struck with his tail, knocking his attacker's grounded foot out from underneath him. Gaira landed with his back to the ground and lashed out with both feet, bringing Godzilla down with a double kick to the knee before rolling to grapple side by side with him.

Now they were both on the ground, locked together in a sort of monster judo match. Gaira could not managed to roll Godzilla onto his back because of the latter's huge dorsal spikes, so instead he clung to his throat with both arms, both legs wrapped around one of Godzilla's, and squeezed with all his might in an effort to suffocate him. Godzilla managed to get an arm free and raked Gaira's back with his claws, tearing through the soft tissue. Gaira winced and reflexively loosened his grip, giving Godzilla enough of a window to roll on top and bite down on his neck. Gaira bellowed and kicked with both feet again, sending Godzilla rolling away. Gaira grabbed him by the tail with both arms and spun him around, ploughing through several buildings before slamming him to the ground and elbow dropping him. Godzilla had the wind taken out of him and lay there, vulnerable, while his enemy towered over him, the blue glow becoming ever brighter. Gaira climbed onto Godzilla and opened his jaws to administer a vampiric bite.

Something heavy crashed into Gaira's head and sent reeling by the blow, losing his balance and collapsing into a building. Godzilla looked up to see Sanda coming toward them, carrying another car ready to toss. Godzilla made eye contact with him and quickly discerned his intent.

"He's back!" Honda cheered. "Sanda's up and ready to keep fighting!"

Sanda dropped the car and helped Godzilla stand back up. The two of them exchanged a knowing nod and turned to face Gaira just as he, too, was finding his footing again. His arteries were all clearly visible through his skin, illuminated with a blue shimmer as radiation coursed through his blood. Both sides held their positions, eyeing each other fiercely.

Gaira made the first move, launching himself at his brother with a flying kick. Sanda ducked out of the way, allowing Godzilla to grab Gaira's leg and throw him to the ground. Gaira tried to rear up and punch at him, but Sanda laid him back out with a kick to the head. Godzilla twisted Gaira's leg until it snapped, then lifted him over his head and smashed him face first into the ground. Sanda got behind Gaira, placing his foot on the back of one knee, and lifted him partially upright by the arms for Godzilla to batter his chest with his tail. Gaira broke free by driving his elbow into Sanda's chest and leaped at Godzilla, putting him in a stranglehold and trying to force him down.

Sanda picked up a heavy piece of debris, but instead of throwing it, he jumped and punched downward while still holding it. The power of the strike allowed his fist to penetrate Gaira's rib cage from behind, thrusting the object in between his organs. Gaira released his grip on Godzilla and fell backward, taking his brother down with him. They pushed each other away and stood back up.

Gaira gasped for air and noticed the chunk of debris was no longer in Sanda's hands. He had let go of it while his fist was inside Gaira, leaving it lodged against his lungs. Even as the damage to the organ tissue was repaired rapidly, the foreign object in his chest impaired his breathing. Gaira continued to fight, fending off Sanda and Godzilla's kicks and punches while returning a few of his own, but even though he was more powerful than ever, he was not able to use his full strength without all the air he needed.

Gaira was slowing down, and soon his blows were no longer landing true. He had to stop and retreat temporarily, reaching into his chest to pull out the offending object. He was facing the water, his back turned to his enemies, allowing Sanda and Godzilla to charge at the same time, driving him to the ground and pinning him there. Gaira flailed uselessly against the dual onslaught, roaring in anger, while the reactor in his abdomen glowed brighter still. The flesh on his torso began to sizzle and smoke.

Honda saw this and informed her friends. "He's burning up from the inside."

"It's melting down!" said Yuma. "They're running out of time!"

"I'll tell Godzilla to take him out to sea."

Godzilla got the message and passed it on telepathically to Sanda. Just as they lifted their foe off the ground, Gaira's mouth opened wide, and out came a burst of blue fire. One of Sanda's hands happened to be in the way and was melted completely off, causing him to recoil and let go with his other hand. This left both of Gaira's arms free. He punched Sanda's leg where the fracture had occurred earlier. Sanda fell to his knees with a cry of pain. Gaira wriggled away from Godzilla and made a break for the water.

"He's leaving!" said Honda. "He's going into the ocean!"

Yuma shook his head. "They have to follow him and make sure he goes as far out as possible. If he's still inside the bay when it goes off, the city and the nearby islands could still be at risk."

Godzilla dove in after Gaira and followed at a short distance rather than trying to overtake him. Sanda came, too, though the abominable pain in his leg and the loss of one hand made him a slower swimmer. Gaira was moving quickly, hoping to reach deep, cool water to ease the searing pain in his gut. After a few minutes of swimming, he stopped and writhed as another surge of energy exploded from his mouth. He thrashed violently about for a few more seconds, then passed out and began to drift. Godzilla and Sanda caught him and swam as fast as they could. Godzilla's spikes flickered and sparkled as he drew power from Gaira.

Honda continued to update her comrades. "They're carrying him out now. Godzilla's siphoning some of Gaira's energy to slow the process. They've passed between Etajima and Miyajima. Yes…Yes, they're going to make it!"

They still were not quite far enough out yet when Gaira awoke amidst another violent outpouring of blue fire, frantically kicked them off, and tried to swim back. Sanda wrapped his arms around his brother's waist, but Gaira plunged straight down, submerging them both. Godzilla went after them and watched their struggle. Sanda was no longer the bigger and stronger of the two, and to make matters worse, they were in Gaira's territory now. It took all of Sanda's might just to hang on and withstand the beating he was getting. At last, Gaira knocked him loose with a powerful blow the head; stunned, Sanda went limp and sank into the dark waters.

Godzilla slammed into Gaira and they started wrestling again underwater. Gaira managed to get his hands around Godzilla's throat and legs around his waist, then bit the side of his neck. Godzilla screeched and twisted about, fighting to get free. The glow from the ingested reactor intensified, and he knew he had to get away immediately. As Gaira sapped power from him, the glow became almost blindingly bright. The explosion was nigh. Godzilla's thrashing slowed and he felt blackness overtaking him again.

However, with just moments left, Sanda reappeared from out of the darkness and threw both arms around Gaira's neck, squeezing with all of his might. Gaira released his grip on Godzilla with a stifled shriek of fury, allowing Godzilla to beat a hasty retreat in the direction of Hisorhima. Gaira continued to squirm until he managed to shake Sanda off again and turned to face him, but by now the reactor had reached its limit. Time had run out for both of them.

Sanda looked into Gaira's eyes one last time and saw only hatred; the brother he loved was long dead, replaced by a wrathful monster. Nevertheless, Sanda still felt a humbling sense of guilt and regret that their relationship had deteriorated so. Despite all that had happened, Sanda still loved his brother and wished that, for once in his life, he could speak out loud, to simply say, "Goodbye."

Both brothers disappeared in a dazzling explosion. The shockwave created a momentary void in the water, propelled Godzilla away at twice the speed he could swim, and was felt throughout Kyushu, Chugoku, and Shikoku. In Hiroshima, Honda saw a momentary flash of brilliant light peeping down into the shelter.

When the blast finally died down, Godzilla was floating in a daze through the waters of the inland sea. However, the power taken from him was replenished by the explosion, and within a few short minutes he was at full function again. He returned to the point of the blast and telepathically scanned the area, trying to pick up Sanda's thoughts, or Gaira's. But there was nothing. The vicious monster was gone, but so was a good man.

* * *

Honda's connection to Godzilla had weakened a bit from distance, but she received a message from him loud and clear. She jumped to her feet in jubilation and shouted for all to hear. "They did it! They've won!"

Omori turned his suit's built-in radio to the JSDF channel and relayed the message: "All units stand down. The battle is over. Gaira is dead and Hiroshima is saved!"

Throughout Hiroshima, there were cheers as word spread quickly from troops to civilians. Though most would never understand the true nature or scope of the threat Gaira posed, it was a threat that they would never have to face again. Another victory was achieved.

Honda was as delighted as all the others, yet she could not help but notice that there was one person in the shelter who was not cheering.

"Adam?" she asked, worried that something was wrong. "What's the matter?"

"Walk with me," he murmured. "I want to talk to you in private."

Once they were above ground, he turned off his suit's radio. She did the same, and then he explained what was on his mind.

"Kumi, I…" He stopped for a moment, trying to figure out how best to say it. He decided to just state it flat out and get it over with. "I destroyed the last of my research on Gargantua."

Honda was surprised, but she said nothing and allowed him to continue.

"I didn't want it to be misused, and I was afraid it would be impossible to make the formula safe for human usage. It was dangerous and should never have been created in the first place." He paused again, waiting to see if Honda would respond. When she did not, he kept going. "And yet, I'm left wondering if it was really the right decision. Part of me thinks we could've made it work, even if it took years to get there, but I'm not even sure that could have justified the risk. I just…ugh, I just don't know."

Honda took his hand in hers. "It's probably for the best. Reisendorf's work wasn't a true success. He left a legacy of destruction, and it's our job to do better. After all, what good is it to look to the past if we're not going to learn from it?"

Yuma nodded in agreement. They continued their walk until they reached the waterfront and looked out to sea. The waters were calm again, as though nothing had ever happened, and the clouds parted over a setting sun which filled the sky and water with shades of violet and tangerine.

"What do you think?" asked Yuma. "Could they still be out there?"

Honda shook her head sadly. "Godzilla's looking, but so far he can't find either of them. Sanda and Gaira were both right on top of the explosion; they must have been atomized."

"I feel sorry for them both," said Yuma. "It didn't need to end this way, but they would never have truly belonged in this world."

Honda sighed as she looked out over the shimmering sunset sea. "They may be better off now. Gaira will never threaten us again, and Sanda has found the peace he always wanted."


	8. Extremis malis, extrema remedia

Two days later, General Martin sat in his office at the UNMCC base in Okinawa, talking privately with Nicholson and Arkoff.

"So that's that," said the general after he had relayed the story to them. "Godzilla is back in action, Sanda and Gaira are dead, and Gargantua is no more."

"So what now?" asked Arkoff.

Martin gave a shrug of resignation. "Honestly, I'm glad that we don't have to worry about the immediate situation in Japan, and I must concede Doctor Yuma's argument that Gargantua and the G1 studies were dead ends. Furthermore, he and I agreed that if word of the experiments reached the public, it would have reflected badly on everyone. I won't promise that we won't ever consider similar options again, but for now it's probably best to hold off. That being said…" He produced a bottle of whiskey from his desk and three glasses which he filled with the strong drink. "We now know that Godzilla is not strong enough to take on every threat. He only defeated Gaira with the help of Sanda. We know for a fact that there are far worse things soon to come, and we need to be ready; we need to take this battle to the next level."

Nicholson sat up in excitement. "Do you mean…?"

Martin nodded and handed a glass to each of the inventors. "Regretfully, but yes. I have reconsidered your proposal and accepted. We shall put it into action at once." The general raised his glass of whiskey in a toast, though his expression was anything but cheery. "Gentlemen, it is time to commence Project M."


End file.
